Opinion: Little-known outside the country, Israel’s 'blood covenant' with the Druze—Arabic-speaking but neither Arab nor Muslim—explains Jerusalem’s rare strikes on Syria to protect Druze tribes, even amid fears of igniting a wider conflict. Supporters of Israel worldwide, including a great many Jews, have little notion of who the Druze are, much less Israel’s "blood covenant" with them.
Few would know that, though Arabic-speaking, the Druze do not uniformly consider themselves Arabs. And while adhering to a monotheistic faith which broke away from Islam in the early Middle Ages, they are neither Muslims. Foreigners who claim to know Israel would be surprised to learn of the prominent role played by Druze in every aspect of Israeli society – not only in the military but in academia, politics, business and the media.
Indeed, the first awareness of the Druze for many outside of Israel came on July 27, 2024, with the murderous Hezbollah rocket attack on the Golan Druze village of Majdal Shams that killed 12 children. Even then, those watching the funerals from abroad might’ve been just as surprised to see the absence of Israeli flags that traditionally drape the coffins of terror victims and to learn that the majority of the roughly 30,000 Druze who live on the Golan Heights are not citizens of Israel. They fear that Israel will someday forfeit the Golan in a peace deal and so retain their Syrian citizenship.
If all of the above is not sufficiently confusing for non-Israelis, totally bewildering has been Israel’s decision to battle the Syrian army and even bomb Damascus in defense of Druze tribes located 100km from our northern border. As someone who defends Israel regularly in the foreign press, it’s challenging to describe this situation in a seven-second soundbite. Already fighting on multiple fronts, people understandably ask, why would Israel want to open an additional front with a nation that purportedly seeks peace with us? (Read More)
If all of the above is not sufficiently confusing for non-Israelis, totally bewildering has been Israel’s decision to battle the Syrian army and even bomb Damascus in defense of Druze tribes located 100km from our northern border. As someone who defends Israel regularly in the foreign press, it’s challenging to describe this situation in a seven-second soundbite. Already fighting on multiple fronts, people understandably ask, why would Israel want to open an additional front with a nation that purportedly seeks peace with us? (Read More)
