‘New chapter’: Syrian Druze clerics enter Israel for first pilgrimage since 1948
60 clerics pray at tomb of Nabi Shuaib, the most important Druze religious site, are set to meet leader of Israeli community; other Syrian Druze strongly oppose trip
Dozens of Syrian Druze clerics crossed into Israel on Friday for their community’s first pilgrimage to a revered shrine since Israel’s creation in 1948.
On board three buses escorted by military vehicles, the clerics crossed the armistice line at Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights and headed to northern Israel.
According to a source close to the group, the delegation of around 60 clerics was due to meet the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, Sheikh Muafak Tarif, in northern Israel.
They then headed to the tomb of Nabi Shuaib near Tiberias in the Galilee -– the most important religious site for the Druze — where they arrived in the evening to pray.
Followers of the esoteric monotheistic faith are mainly divided between Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
A source close to the delegation said that the visit followed an invitation from the Druze community in Israel, but that it had been met with “strong opposition” from other Druze in Syria.
The Druze account for about three percent of Syria’s population and are heavily concentrated in the southern province of Sweida.
In Israel, there are around 150,000 Druze, with most of those living in Israel holding Israeli citizenship and serving in the army.
However, of the some 23,000 living in the Golan Heights, most do not hold Israeli citizenship and still see themselves as Syrian nationals.
Dr. Amir Khnifess, chairman of the Druze and Circassian Movement for Democracy and Equality, welcomed the visit as a “historic and meaningful moment” for the Druze, in a statement quoted by the Israel Hayom news site.
The visit signified “the beginning of a new chapter in the country’s history with its neighbor,” he said.
‘Bold alliance’
Israel seized much of the strategic Golan Heights from Syria in a war in 1967, later annexing the area in 1981 in a move recognized by the US but not by most of the international community.
The pilgrimage comes as Israel has voiced support for Syria’s Druze and mistrust of the country’s new Islamist leaders.
Following the ouster of longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes on Syria and sent troops into the demilitarized buffer zone of the Golan in southwest Syria.
Government spokesman David Mencer said on Thursday that 10,000 humanitarian aid packages had been sent to “the Druze community in battle areas of Syria” over the past few weeks.
“Israel has a bold alliance with our Druze brothers and sisters,” he told journalists.
During a visit to military outposts in the UN-patrolled buffer zone between Israel and Syria on Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel would remain in the area and ensure the protection of the Druze.
In early March, following a deadly clash between government-linked forces and Druze fighters in the suburbs of Damascus, Katz said his country would not allow Syria’s new rulers “to harm the Druze.”
Druze leaders immediately rejected Katz’s warning and declared their loyalty to a united Syria.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that southern Syria must be completely demilitarized, warning that his government would not accept the presence of the forces of the new Islamist-led government near its territory.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.