‘Not only equal in battle’: Druze, Circassians launch protests against discrimination
Minority communities announce week of action culminating in Jerusalem rally; leaders demand more resources and a five-year plan, as well as repeal of contentious planning law
Members of the Druze and Circassian communities announced Sunday that they were launching a week of protests against what they called government discrimination against their towns and villages.
The events will culminate in a large protest in Jerusalem on July 8.
“We have been patient enough and now is the time to launch a struggle,” community leaders said in a statement, according to the Walla news site.
“We are not only equal in battle. The covenants of blood and life have become superficial and false slogans,” they said, demanding an adequate budget for their communities for 2024, in addition to the immediate formulation of a five-year plan.
The statement also demanded work to regulate construction in the Druze sector, the repeal of the Kaminitz Law, the approval of the Electricity Bill and “attention to the plight of the young Druze who pay a heavy price for the defense of the state.”
The Druze, an ethno-religious minority whose population is split between several Middle Eastern countries, number about 150,000 in Israel.
Male Druze citizens are required to serve in the IDF and while the community makes up just 2 percent of the population, the Druze account for 3 percent of all career soldiers, according to the military. Druze women are exempt from serving.
Israel’s Circassian community only numbers about 5,000, from a global population in the millions. The mostly Muslim minority is concentrated in two towns in the Lower Galilee. Circassian men are also drafted into the IDF.
However, amid their contributions to the nation, the two communities highlight the passage of two laws passed in recent years as discriminatory and exclusionary.
Firstly, the controversial 2018 Nation-State Law, which enshrined Israel as a Jewish state. Minorities said it effectively defined them as “second-class citizens.”
And secondly, the Kamenitz Law to fast-track action against illegal construction without going through the courts, which is widely understood to target Arab communities, where building permits are almost impossible to secure, with the result that Arabs build illegally and are then fined or threatened with demolition by the government.
Last month, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help advance the passage of a five-year plan to support local authorities of Druze and Circassian communities.
A previous five-year plan for the two minority communities expired in 2023, and the government has not approved a new one since, despite many requests.
Arbel noted the contribution of both communities, whose members serve in the IDF, and the toll they are suffering in the north amid the ongoing daily clashes with Hezbollah.
“This situation, where there is no plan in effect, does damage not only to planning and construction, [but also] education, welfare, economic development, and more,” he wrote.
Arbel cited the communities’ service, reportedly writing, “It goes without saying that these communities are among those who have contributed most to the war effort, and paid the highest price.
“Also important to note is that a significant portion of Druze and Circassian localities are situated along the [Israel-Lebanon border], and have suffered significant economic harm since the start of the war,” he reportedly added.
At a Memorial Day event last month in Isfiya, Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif raised the issue during his address, saying that while the day of remembrance should focus on those who gave their lives for the country, the government had to honor the “covenant of blood” between the Druze and Israel, and take steps to allow young Druze to build legally on their land, allocating “land for the living, and not just for the dead.”
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the northern border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in 10 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 15 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 355 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 65 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
The Times of Israel Community.