Just as it seemed matters might have a shot at simmering down, as negotiations continue on a Gaza hostage-and-ceasefire deal, tensions broke out in Swayda, in southern Syria, between leadership forces of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and fighters from the minority Druze population.
Swayda is emblematic of the minority makeup of Syria’s population and the clashes that erupt between these groups. The area is mostly controlled by Druze forces, while the city also hosts a smaller population of Christian and Muslim minorities.
While Israel’s national unity is arguably at an all-time strain, there is no questioning how much the Druze community deserves Israel’s support and protection at this time.
Now is the time to demonstrate this truth.
This is especially pertinent given the grief that the Druze community has dealt with in the wake of the passing of the Nation-State Law in 2018. The law declared Israel to be the state of the Jewish people, enshrining concepts that aligned with that principle, but failed to include positive characteristics vis-à-vis Israel’s non-Jewish citizens.
The Druze community felt especially slighted by this, as its members historically served in the IDF and tied their identity strongly to the state. They felt marginalized by the law, particularly its provision to downgrade Arabic as an official language in Israel to a language with merely special status.
The law lacked the explicit recognition of equality for all citizens and has been a sore topic for the Druze community.
In the Israel-Hamas War, Druze have fought and died alongside their fellow soldiers in the IDF, and are Israeli in every way that matters.
Sharaa’s government will soon withdraw its forces from areas with Druze populations, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Syria’s Druze had reached a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian government in Swayda, with immediate effect, announced by Druze religious leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou.
The Israeli Druze have been fighting for Israel since day one of the war
On July 27, 2024, a Hezbollah rocket struck a football field in the border Druze town of Majdal Shams, killing 12 youth. This community is part of the fabric of Israeli society and deserves its full protection, especially now, especially when it is their families and friends that are being targeted across the border.
Israel’s obligation must stretch beyond earnest statements. Drawing on lessons from the Syrian civil war, when the IDF’s clandestine Operation Good Neighbor treated thousands of wounded Syrians – including Druze – inside Israeli hospitals, Jerusalem should quietly reopen that humanitarian lifeline.
Simultaneously, Israel ought to press Washington, Moscow, and Amman to deter further regime or Hezbollah attacks on Swayda – and to guarantee safe passage for civilians to the Jordanian border.
Such proactive, life-saving engagement would convert rhetoric into reality, reaffirm the covenant between Israel and its Druze citizens, and demonstrate what shared destiny means in practice, not just in speeches but in acts. Today.
The only proper course of action now for Israel is to show appreciation for this special and loyal community and protect their brothers in times of crisis.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, “We are taking action to save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime’s militias.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz added, “To our Druze brothers in Israel: You can trust the IDF to protect your brothers in Syria.”
The prime minister warned against attempts by the Israeli-Druze community to cross the border into Syria. “You are endangering your lives; you could be killed, you could be kidnapped, and you are harming the IDF’s efforts” in the area, he said.
Jerusalem must handle this delicately, balancing between diplomatic concerns and domestic ones, ones that touch on issues that have not only plagued Israel for nigh on two years, but also for many years before that. Namely, the social contract between the elected government and its people – and unity, national identity, and camaraderie.
The Druze community, which has given so much, deserves the peace of mind in knowing their friends and family are safe across the border. Israel can and should provide that – for the sake of the honor of the act itself – in keeping with the broader vision of a nuanced and colorful Israeli society, and in giving the Druze community what it deserves.