World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Israel : Druze
| Publisher | Minority Rights Group International |
| Publication Date | 2008 |
| Cite as | Minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Israel : Druze, 2008, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/49749d05c.html [accessed 30 June 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Profile
There are about 102,000 Druze, or about 1.6 per cent of the Israeli population, located in eighteen villages, some exclusively Druze, others mixed, in the Galilee and Mt. Carmel in the occupied Golan Heights (see Syria). Druze are ethnically Arab and Arabic speaking, but most do not consider themselves Palestinian. Their monotheistic religion incorporates many beliefs from Islam, Judaism and Christianity, and is also influenced by Greek philosophy and Hinduism. Druze have not proselytized since the 11th century, and the religion remains closed to outsiders.
Historical context
The Druze religion developed in the Middle Ages, and the first Druze settled in what is today southern Lebanon and northern Israel. The community enjoyed semi-autonomy during the Ottoman Empire and in 1921 France tried and failed to establish a Druze state within the French Mandate of Syria.
Druze have traditionally adopted a practice of cooperating with national authorities, and Druze fought voluntarily alongside Jews in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that accompanied Israel's birth. Israeli authorities eagerly exploited the differences between Druze Arabs and Palestinians. In 1956 Druze were included in military conscription, and were allowed to establish Druze religious courts in 1961. In 1970 special government departments were established solely for Druze. None of this protected them from the land confiscations and discriminatory budgets suffered by other Arabs, though not on quite the same scale. Within the Israeli military, Druze have played a key role in operations within the occupied territories due to their Arabic language skills. However, continuing discrimination against Druze and growing sympathy with Palestinians in the occupied territories has led some to question the community's strategy of cooperation with the state.
Current issues
A growing influx of Jewish settlers among Druze communities in northern Israel and occupied Golan Heights further degraded the relationship between the state and Druze in the north in 2007. Druze and some in the established Jewish community complain bitterly of right-wing settlers bent on dominance of the local villages. In October, over 30 Druze and police officers were wounded in riots in the Golan Heights village of Peki'in.
The Arab Druze Initiative, an organization of conscientious objectors to military service, estimated in April 2006 that the number of Druze youth refusing military service had climbed to 40 per cent, despite the threat of arrest. With increasing tensions among Druze and state-backed Jewish settlers in the north, some Druze warn that their community's willingness to serve the state will further decline.
