Who are the Druze, hit by a strike in this territory occupied by Israel?

A minority caught in the middle of the war. Twelve Druze aged 10 to 16 were buried on Sunday, July 28, in the towns of Majdal Shams and Ein Quniya, on the Golan Heights annexed by Israel. The day before, they were playing football when they were hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon. According to the Israeli army, the shooting was carried out by Hezbollah, but the Lebanese Islamist movement denies any responsibility.

Immediately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a trip to the United States to go there. He assured that Hezbollah would pay “the high price” for this action, described by the army as“deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since October 7”. But Druze leaders have opposed any response. “We reject shedding even a drop of blood under the pretext of avenging our children.”they said. Statements that underline the complex position occupied by this minority vis-à-vis Israel. Explanations.

The Druze are an ethnic and religious minority that originated in Egypt in the 11th century. Their religion, monotheistic, incorporates elements of Islam, Hinduism and classical Greek philosophy, which emphasizes “spiritual purity”explains the Israeli newspaper HaaretzThey believe in several prophets, including Jesus, Muhammad and Moses. “Their belief is poorly understood, it remains secret”specifies for franceinfo Alhadji Bouba Nouhou, professor at the University of Bordeaux-Montaigne and specialist in the Israeli-Arab conflict.

“The Druze have their own sacred texts, which are transmitted only to initiates. No one can truly know the doctrine without having been initiated into it.”

Alhadji Bouba Nouhou, lecturer at Bordeaux-Montaigne University

to franceinfo

The Druze are Arabs, but they are neither Muslims nor Christians. They do not gather in mosques or churches, “but in houses of wisdom”specifies Alhadji Bouba Nouhou. Their community remains very closed to the outside world: mixed marriages and conversions are forbidden.

Their population is estimated at between 800,000 and one million people, more than 80% of whom live in Syria and Lebanon, HaaretzA small portion, about 150,000, live in Israel, according to the Israel Bureau of Statistics. (in PDF)The latter have Israeli nationality, participate in the country’s political life and perform their compulsory military service. “They speak Arabic and Israeli, are particularly recruited in security-related services and serve as interpreters in military courts.”illustrates Alhadji Bouba Nouhou. Since October 7, 2023, they have also been engaged in the Gaza Strip alongside the Israeli army. “Israel is at war and we are part of Israel”claims Anan Kheir, Israeli Druze activist, to franceinfo. According to Haaretzten Druze soldiers have died in combat since the start of the conflict.

Their commitment to Israel dates back to shortly before the creation of the Hebrew state in 1948. “Druze who did not recognize themselves in the Palestinian demands contacted David Ben Gurion [un des fondateurs de l’Etat d’Israël] and have become closer to the Zionist Jewish communities,” recalls Alhadji Bouba Nouhou. In order to strengthen its support, Israel then dissociated them from other Arab communities and included them on a list of non-Muslim minorities. The word “Druze” then replaced that of “Arab” on their identity papers, describes the site Orient XXIThis distinction had the effect of creating a form of “legitimacy and loyalty” of the Druze of Israel towards the Hebrew State, continues Alhadji Bouba Nouhou.

But the Israeli Druze are distinct from the Golan Druze. The latter, numbering 23,000 according to AFP, retained Syrian nationality after Israel conquered this territory controlled by Damascus during the Six-Day War in 1967. In 1981, when Israel officially annexed the Golan, making it an occupied territory like the West Bank, the Druze were offered Israeli citizenship, but refused. The majority preferred to obtain permanent resident status and withdrew from any action linked to the Israeli state, such as participating in local elections. None of the 12 young Druze killed in the attack in Majdal Shams on Saturday had Israeli citizenship, according to municipal authorities, quoted by CNN.

This demarcation from Israel was reinforced in 1982, when the law on the annexation of the Golan Heights came into force in Israel. Many Druze from the Golan denounced this legislation and reaffirmed their attachment to Syria, recalls HaaretzThe Syrian regime supports this feeling by encouraging relations between Damascus and the Druze of the Golan. The latter can come and study for free in Syria, commercial links are encouraged, family reunifications as well as marriages are facilitated, explains The Times of Israel.

But those ties frayed with the start of the Syrian war in 2011. Cultural and economic exchanges were hampered by the fighting, and support for Bashar al-Assad waned. The conflict shattered “the idea of ​​a Syrian nation”estimated historian Yusri Hazran with the Times of Israel. “The collapse of the Syrian state and the devastation in the country have forced the Druze of the Golan to choose a rational option: that of integration into the Israeli sphere”he analyzes. “MBut this is not a recognition of Zionism.”

Result: Applications for Israeli citizenship by the Druze of the Golan have increased slightly in recent years. While they were only about ten per year in the 2010s, they reached a record number of 139 procedures in 2019, underlines The Times of Israel. The involvement of the Israeli Golan Druze in the political life of the Jewish state remains low, however. In Majdal Shams, the largest Druze city, out of 962 Israeli citizens of voting age, only 169 cast a ballot in the last Knesset elections in 2022, the Israeli newspaper notes.

The political status of the Golan Druze gives them rights. They have access to health care, education and can move freely within Israel. But they face discrimination when it comes to obtaining building permits or the right to travel abroad, explains The Times of Israel. This situation is tending to deteriorate. Since Israel’s “nation state” law of 2018, which defines Israel as the state of the Jewish people above all, the Druze of Israel and the Golan feel “put aside”, says Alhadji Bouba Nouhou. “They were presented as a model of integration by Israel and feel betrayed.”

The 2018 law notably recognizes Jewish settlements in the occupied territories as being “of national interest”. Since then, settlement activity in the Golan Heights, which is illegal under international law, has increased. Today, 25,000 Israelis live alongside 23,000 Druze, not without conflict. In June 2023, Druze in the Golan threatened Israel with a “intifada”due to a project to install wind turbines on their territory, according to The Times of Israel.

These tensions have increased with the start of the war in Gaza. Due to the exchanges of fire between Lebanon and Israel, the Druze of the Golan are seen as unwilling targets. The Golan is home to many Israeli military installations and is regularly targeted by Hezbollah. After the attack on Majdal Shams, “The Druze denounced a lack of protection on the part of Israel,” emphasizes Alhadji Bouba Nouhou. In the coming days, they will “perhaps toughen their demands”On Tuesday, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire again, raising fears of a flare-up in the region.