Israel Must Help Druze Achieve Self-Determination in Syria | Opinion

There is no reason to believe that the situation of Druze and other minorities will improve following the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

During a rare interview with Al Jazeera in 2015, militant leader of the jihadist Al-Nusra Front now in control of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa—better known nowadays by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani—said that once his group wrested control from the now-deposed al-Assad, he would impose Sharia law over the country.

To receive protection in the future Islamic regime, al-Assad's Alawite brethren—who comprise an estimated 10 percent of the country's population—and the Druze—a gnostic offshoot of the Isma'ili sect of Shiite Islam—would not only have to disavow the former dictator but also "correct their doctrinal mistakes and embrace Islam."

This leaves the Druze minority in a very dangerous situation. Druze form the third-largest religion in Syria, numbering an estimated 3 percent of the population today. They are concentrated in the rural mountainous areas east and south of Damascus, the capital city of Syria. The relationship between the Druze and Muslims have been characterized by intense persecution, since most Druze do not accept the five pillars of Islam and are thus considered "infidels" by Islamic fundamentalists.

Druze for centuries have experienced oppression under various Islamic regimes such as the Shiite Fatimid Caliphate, the Mamluks, and the Ottoman Empire. Attacks against the Druze included massacres, forced conversion to Islam and the destruction of Druze houses of worship and holy places.

Fast-forward to July 2018, when the Islamic State terror group targeted the Druze in Syria, which culminated in a string of suicide bombings that killed over 220 people. Druze girls and women were kidnapped by Islamic state terrorists. A particularly horrific video circulating among the Druze community depicted the beheading of a 17-year-old Druze girl. Considering al-Jolani's past links to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorist groups, the future for Druze in the country looks increasingly bleak.

In contrast to Syria, Druze in Israel have forged what is often referred to as "a covenant of blood" with the Jewish state. Jethro—the biblical prophet Moses' father-in-law—is the most important prophet in the Druze religion and the ancestor of all Druze. Alongside the Jewish majority, the Druze in Israel are the only religious community that is required by law to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (at the request of Druze religious and communal leaders).

At the same time, Western leaders are looking favorably toward al-Jolani's government. In January, the foreign ministers of Germany and France visited the country to express their willingness to engage with al-Jolani. This followed a "very productive" visit by Barbara Leaf—top Middle East diplomat to the U.S. State Department—who told reporters that al-Jolani was committed to the creation of an inclusive Syrian government that respected the rights of minorities. Leaf also announced that the U.S. removed the $10 million bounty on the former terrorist leader's head.

Is it any wonder why Druze in Syria are increasingly looking to Israel for sanctuary? The Druze leader of al-Suwayda in southwestern Syria said that his community would not agree to live under al-Jolani and that "we want to live under Israeli rule and become part of Israel." A convention of dignitaries from the Druze village of Hader, on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, have also spoken in favor of joining Israel in a series of viral videos on social media.

"I don't mind if anyone is taking pictures or recording—we ask to be annexed to the Golan," said an unnamed speaker who spoke to dozens in a viral video of the convention. "The fate of Hader is the fate of the surrounding villages, we want to ask to join our kin in the Golan, to be free from injustice and oppression." The speaker warned against Islamist militias that would "take our wives, our daughters, our homes."

For Israel's part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Israeli army to "prepare to defend" the Druze-majority city of Jaramana on the outskirts of Syria's capital of Damascus.

Under increasing sectarianism, Syria as we know it is now gone. With Israel's move into the Golan Heights demilitarized zone and southern Syria following the collapse of al-Assad's regime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must heed the calls of Druze in Syria seeking to secede from Syria and forge closer ties with their brethren in Israel. Only by protecting Druze autonomy can Israel ensure that this long-beleaguered minority truly live their lives in safety, justice, and freedom.

Bradley Martin is the executive director of the Near East Center for Strategic Studies.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.