Getting To Know The Druze Tribe, A Minority That Is The Reason For Israel's Handover To Syria

YOGYAKARTA - On Wednesday, July 16, Israel launched airstrikes in the city center of Damascus, targeting the Ministry of Defense complex and the area around the presidential palace. In addition, the Israeli military also attacked southern Syrian territory, where fighting between the Druze group, the Bedouin, and Syrian security forces had lasted more than four days.

According to a report by the Syrian Observatory on Human Rights, more than 250 people were killed in clashes in Suwayda Province. Israel, which occupies the Syrian Golan Heights, stated that it aims to protect the Druze minority, which is considered a potential ally and targets pro-government forces accused of attacking them. However, the Syrian government strongly denies these claims.

Spread in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Israel's occupied Golan Heights, the Druze tribe occupies a special niche in complex politics in the region.

Druze is an Arab who adheres to a religion that comes from one of the Islamic branches. They maintain the confidentiality of their religious practices that emerged in the 11th century and combine Islamic elements and other philosophy, emphasize monotheism, and search for truth.

Citing Reuters, some hardline Sunni Muslims considered them heretical. Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, an Islamist who was a member of al Qaeda, called them part of Syria's structure and promised to protect their rights in a speech on Thursday.

The Syrian Druze is concentrated in the southwest in the Sweida region bordering Jordan and in the Quneitra province, near Israel's occupied Golan. They also live on the outskirts of Damascus, Jaramana. In Israel, Druze mainly lives in the north and Golan. In Lebanon, they are concentrated in mountainous areas, including Chouf and Aley, and other areas such as Hasbaya in southern Lebanon.

The sectarian tension between Druze and the local Bedouin in Suweyda has been going on for a long time. Meanwhile, the efforts of the newly formed Syrian government, which took power after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, to assert control of the region have been partially thwarted by Israel's repeated threats to the presence of the Syrian military near its border.

Citing Aljazeera, there are about 700,000 Druzes in Syria. Another 150,000 Druzes live in Israel, where, at least before the 2018 law which emphasizes only the self-determination of Jews, many consider themselves bound by a "blood agreement" with their Jewish neighbors since 1948 and the founding of Israel at the expense of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians undergoing ethnic cleansing in Nakba. Although some now feel like "second-class" citizens, the majority still support the Israeli state, where they served in the military.

Israeli airstrikes followed deadly clashes in Suwayda between Syrian government forces and local Druze fighters. The violence began with kidnapping and retaliatory attacks between the Druze fighters and the local Bedouin. As government forces intervened to restore order, they clashed with the Druze group and, in some cases, reportedly targeted civilians.

Druze, a small but influential minority in Syria and Israel, is seen by Israel as a loyal ally, and many are serving in the Israeli military. The ceasefire announced on Tuesday was quickly violated and fighting resumed the next day.

Druze Suwayda appears to be divided. One of the leaders, Yasser Jarbou, stated that a ceasefire had been agreed upon with the Syrian government. Other leaders, Hikmat al-Hijri, rejected any ceasefire. And many Druze in Syria do not want Israel to intervene on their behalf.

Israel has its own considerations and has sought to expand its control in southern Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December. Israel has avoided any attempt to reach a security agreement with Syria and has repeatedly bombed the country this year. Many analysts believe that Israel prefers weak Syria to a country believed to have the potential to threaten it if Syria grows strongly.