Druze Loyalty to Israel
Druze comprise a significant force in the Israeli army
Letter Excerpts:
“From there we went to a Druze Village. It was amazing what a fierce loyalty these people have to Israel. I walked through town & had many talks with the people… all the younger ones spoke Hebrew. I was amazed however when in house after house a picture of Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan was on the wall along with their sons in Israel’s Armed Forces.”
— August 8, 1957
General Moshe Dayan
was Chief of Staff
from 1953-1958
As evident from this August 8th letter, the Druze have proven to be a community loyal to the State of Israel. Hundreds of Druze have died fighting for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) over the years. In fact, some Druze, such as Ayoub Kara, are more loyal to Israel than many Israeli Jews.
Funeral of a Druze soldier killed while serving in the IDF.
In 2014, Arab terrorists entered a synagogue in Har Nof, Jerusalem and started murdering Jews in the middle of their morning prayers. Druze policeman Zidan Tzayif raced to the scene and shot the terrorist, but was killed himself in the process. Acts such as these, plus their contribution to the IDF and security forces have earned them a special standing among the county’s minority groups, and members of the community have attained high-level positions in the political, pubic, and military spheres.
Who Are the Druze?
The Israeli Druze are a religious and ethnic minority among non-Jewish residents living in Israel. Though they speak Arabic, they are a community distinct from other Arab Israelis, with their own religious norms, and don’t identify as Muslims. As of 2019, 143,000 Druze live in Israel, which is 1.6% of the total population of the country. 122,000 Druze are concentrated in the Galilee and Carmel regions, and the rest are in the Golan.
The Druze faith was founded in 11th century Fatimid, Egypt. They believe their faith to be an interpretation of the three main monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. They consider themselves descendants of the Biblical figure Jethro.
Complexities of Druze Loyalty
The Druze special relationship with the state, including service in Israel’s military and other security forces, is referred to as the “blood covenant” (Hebrew: “Brit Ha’damim”). Within the Druze culture and religion there is a tradition dating back to the 11th century of “political loyalty to the ruling regime”. That is, the Druze religion dictates that they be loyal to the government of the country in which they live. (Besides Israel, Druze people live primarily in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.)
In 1957, the Israeli government designated the Druze a distinct ethnic community at the request of its communal leaders. This displayed their consistent loyalty to the young Jewish State, including risking their lives fighting against Egypt in the Sinai Campaign in 1956.
Today, While they continue to serve in the IDF, the Druze loyalty to Israel has become more complex. Before 1967, the Golan Heights was in the hands of Syria, and the Golan Druze were loyal to Syria and Assad. When Israel regained the Golan Heights, many Golan Druze continued their allegiance to Syria. This put other Druze living in pre-1967 areas of Israel (the Galilee, Carmel) in an awkward position. When Israel fought in Lebanon, the Lebanese Druze, loyal to Lebanon, fought the IDF, pitting Lebanese Druze against Israeli Druze.