The Druze and The Golan Heights, explained
Amanda Bosses
Amanda Bosses
Who are the Druze?
A common misconception about the Modern Middle East is that most of the people who live there are mostly either Arab Muslims, who take up the majority of the Middle East, or Jews who live in Israel. However, there are many other small ethnic religious groups who call the Middle East their home. One of these groups is the Druze people.
The Druze are both an ethnic and religious group. Currently, the Druze make up a very small percentage of the region and the religions in the world. Most live in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan with other communities inside the US and Canada. (IFCJ) (Britannica: Druze)
Origins of the Druze
The religion can be traced back to the 10th to 11th century in the Middle East. Druzeism branched off of Islam to create a new religious group combining the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Early Druze wanted to create a new ideology and took a lot of ideas from the other religions and philosophies like Hinduism and also some Ancient Greek philosophy. (IFCJ) (Britannica: Druze)
Converts in the Druze community
Something that makes Druze very different from other Abrahamic religions is that they do not accept converts. This would seem strange for such a small religious ethnic group like the Druze; most religions –for example Christianity– start off small and expand their religion to get numbers and therefore acceptance up for their beliefs. Most people think bigger is better, and bigger is more recognition and less persecution, but the Druze think it's sacred to keep the same families that were there at the beginning of the religion. According to The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Druze “ believe that anyone who wanted to join the religion had a chance to do so in the first generation after it was started, and that everyone who is alive today is reincarnated from a previous generation. Therefore, they concluded that people today already had their chance to join, centuries ago, and the religion has been closed to converts since 1050” (IFCJ). The Druze are very proud of the fact that they can trace everything back to their ancestors because of their religion to show a very long family line. (IFCJ) (Britannica: Druze) (Israeli-Druze)
The Druze Community
Like most new religions, the Druze were persecuted for having different beliefs –which was not uncommon for anyone in the 10th and 11th century. In fear of the persecution from their neighbors, the Druze thought that it would be better and safer for them to live in communities together. It is frowned upon and very rare for a Druze to leave a Druze community and the ones who do leave do not keep on contact.
Most marriages in the Druze community need to between two Druze people, a boy and a girl. Druze do not allow marrying anyone not in the Druze community because they believe that the time to join the Druze community was at the beginning. If a Druze person wants to marry outside of the Druze community, that person would no longer be a member of their Druze community. It is very simple: either get married in the community of be excommunicated to be with who you want to marry. (IFCJ) (Israeli-Druze)
Most Druze are controlled by the governments of the country that they reside in, but also by their own hierarchy in their community. For example Druze have their own courts who decide on who should or should not get married and/or divorced and adoption because the Druze are very protective about who is and isn't a Druze (ethnically). This mini-government also decides the religious hierarchy which is split up into the al-Juhhal ("the ignorant") and al-Uqqal ("the knowledgeable"). The al-Juhhal are about 80% of Druze and do not have access to the few holy writings they have. As well they are not abided to follow the strict rules that the other 20% of higher up Druze need to follow. The al-Uqqal follow a dress code, are able to read the holy writings and are classified as the spiritual leaders of the Druze community. (IFCJ) (Britannica: Druze)
Druze Beliefs
Druze religion reflects a mix of Abrahamic religions, especially Islam. They believe in a mix of the Tanakh (the Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim) from Judaism, the New Testament from Christianity and the Quran from Islam. Because of the different Abrahamic religions’ influences the Druze are monotheistic religion and have profests just like Jews have Moses, the Christians have Jesus and the Muslim have Muhammad. The Druzes main religious figure is Jethro, Moses’ father -in-law who is proclaimed to be buried near the Kinneret (כנרת) of the Sea of Galilee. The Druze aren't very heavy on religious trips, however, some high ranking religious Druze take a trip the Kinneret each year in April to discuss matters in the various Druze communities. Their religion has no official holy book (but holy writings) nor fasts like Yom Kippur in Judaism or Ramadan in Islam. (IFCJ)
Another belief about the Druze people that has shown great trouble in the Druze community is the belief to stand by the side of the country that they reside in times of war. Regardless if they agree with what the country is doing, they are instructed to fight along side and are very loyal to that one country. This is especially true of the two Druze communities the Israel. (IFCJ) (Britannica: Druze)
The Jews and the Golan Height before and during Early Zionism
The Druze were not always the only small religious group in the Golan heights with the rise of Zionism. Zionism is the nationalist movement to make a homeland for Jews in the Middle East.The idea of returning back to the land of Israel was always an idea that the Jewish community had in the back of their heads. However, before the 19th century, the idea of Zionism wasn't heavily emphasized. It wasn't until Austro-Hungarian political activist Theodor Herzl wrote and published his ideas that they started to gain back their popularity. (Britannica: Zionism)
Theodor Herzl is the founder of the Zionist movement. In 1891 him and his wife move to Paris, France and hoped that the grasp of anti-Semitism wasn't as strong as it was in Vienna. They were both disappointed that in the middle of the French revolution that anti-Semitism had the same effect in Paris and Vienna. Before moving he thought and “regarded anti-Semitism as a social problem that the Jews could overcome only by abandoning their distinctive ways and assimilating” (Britannica: Herzl). One of the points of Herzl’s life that pinpoints his drive to spread Zionism was with the Dreyfus affairs and realizing he was wrong about anti-Semitism. Herzel realised that “the answer to anti-Semitism was not assimilation but organized counter efforts by the Jews”. After that, many of his ideas spread all over Europe telling European Jews to become more active Jews and not to stand idly by when acts of anti-Semitism are committed are become more and more inspired to return and live in Palestine. (Britannica: Herzl) (Herzl Zionism speech)
European Jews started to first immigrate to Palestine traveling south. Early settlers came down through to the Golan Heights. In 1895 more and more Jews arrived in the Golan Heights and there was an influx of various Jews all trying to escape persecution, pogroms and anti-Semitism. (Herzl Zionism speech)
In the Hauran region, (on the Syrian, Jordanian and Palestinian border) Jewish settlements started construction of Jewish communities in these mostly Arab lands. In the early years of the settlements, Jews faced daily oppression, anti-semitism, threats from the bordering Arab communities and the Ottoman empire. Some of the Jewish community isolated themselves from these people who thought they could built settlements here. The Jews who did this were mostly those who lived in the Middle region of Palestine like in Yafo, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. They thought the Jews in the north were crazy for settling in Arab land and didn't want them to be hurt. The most Jews in the Heights and also the peak of Jewish settlement in the region was in 1897-1901. There, the highest amount of people in terms of families was tallied their livedat about 72 families in 9 different places. However after this time most Jews who lived in the Golan Heights started to abandon and leave to go to the more central parts of Israel. After that area was predominantly Druze. (Britannica: Herzl) (Britannica: Golan Heights)
What is the difference between Carmel/Galilee Druze and Golan Heights Druze
The Druze have their origin in Egypt and slowly expanded out into small tight knit communities throughout the Middle East. Currently in the Israel, about 120,000 Druze live the the Carmel and Galilee region and in the Golan Heights. While the people living in the Carmel/Galilee region and in the Golan Heights are all Druze, they have some different beliefs regarding their nationality and their views on which country they have alliance with. (I. Glasser: Historian)
The Carmel/Galilee Druze live a little south of the Golan Heights near the Sea of Galilee. The main distinction with Druze living in Carmel/Galilee and the Druze living in the Golan Heights are that the Druze in Carmel and Galilee consider themselves more Israeli citizens while the Druze in the Golan Heights consider themselves more Syrian. If one would go to a village in each area, one will most likely see Israeli flags with the Carmel/Galilee Druze and Syria flags and Syrian political statements in the Golan Heights. (Britannica: Israel) (I. Glasser)
The reason many Golan Druze feel very strongly about their Syrian nationality is because during the Zionist movement (especially post Ottoman empire) the border of the Middle Eastern countries were in flux. When the region was a part of the Ottoman empire, the Golan Druze had a nationality and loyalty to the Ottoman empire while the Druze in Galilee did have a relationship to the Ottoman empire, but more importantly to the land they were living on. But when their communities were split according to the Balfour Declaration, the Golan Heights went to Syria and the Carmel and Galilee region then went to the Palestinians. As one should of notes above the Druze are very loyal to the Country that they live in. They will fight to defend that country because it is a part of their religious obligation as a Druze person. (Israeli-Druze) (IFCJ)
The Druze and the National boundaries
When Israel first declared themselves as an independent state, bordering countries were quick to deny statehood and war was waged on both side. Against all odds, the new tiny state won and the countries bordering it lost. Some say that the Six Day War was so short because lack of motivation from the other countries, decreased supplies and resources and the extensive amount of military training the Jewish Europeans had. Israel now tripled in land mass in terms of what they had before. One piece of land that was retrieved were the Golan Heights. (Six Day War)
When the Israelis took the Golan Heights from Syria after the short Six Day War in 1967, Israel now had control over a region with people who wanted nothing to do with them Many of the Golan Heights Druze have family in Syria who they were split up from when Israel got the Golan Heights and it didn't look like Israel would be giving up that land soon. With the land that they acquired during the war, they knew they could use this to their advantage in negotiation. To gain peace in the region, Israel gave some of that land back to the countries they took it from in the war, like Egypt. However they didn't do that with Syria and the Golan Heights. Because Israel is very low in terms of sea level, the Golan Heights can be useful in combat in offence and defence.They feared that with the Golan Heights in Syrian soil, the Syrians (or any other country linked with Syria) could launch another attack on Israel and possibly destroy a huge chuck of Israelis. (History.com)
It has been a little over 50 years since the Six Day War and there is still a lot of tension involving the Druze who live in the Golan Heights and Israel. Druze are loyal to the country that they reside in, but they don't automatically pledge allegiance to that country. It takes some amount of time and trust for that country to have the Druze be loyal to them. These things may include their government not hurting or prohibiting their practice of religion and giving them the same rights as a regular citizen though they are not the majority in a country. In this certain case, the Golan Heights Druzes’ still do feel that loyalty towards Syria because they fought for Syria in the Six Day War and lost. The even worse part is the enemy that they were fighting before now has their land as well as legal and governmental control over them. This particular regional group of Druze has been tossed around so much by different powers in that century like the Ottoman Empire, Syria and now Israel. Because of this, it is reasonably thought that their alliance to Israel would not come very easy. (Establishment of State of Israel) (Britannica: Israel)
The Golan Heights: Israel or Syria
After the Six Day War, many countries didn't recognize the Golan Heights as a part of Israel. Though Israel did obtain the area in the war, many of the countries that recognize Palestine –mostly including the countries bordering Israel and the Middle East– think that when Israel calls the Golan Heights their own, it is illegitimate because they received it in war though force. The UN’s Resolution 497 dated 1981 states that “the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the principles of international law and relevant Security council resolutions. [They decide that] … the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and without international legal effect” (Resolution 497). Despite these terms, Israelis refuse to give it up because of the militarious advantages. The Druze who live there still consider themselves Syrian, not Israeli, and most don't have or want to apply for Israeli citizenship to keep the Syrianess of them alive. Another reason includes that if word gets out that they got an Israeli passport or citizenship, it is seem as a betrayal to the Syrianess, Arabness, Islamic-ness and in some cases, thei families in Syria might get hurt because of it. However, with Syria being very preoccupied by their own countries problems like the civil war, their active fighting to retrieve the Golan Heights has gone down due to that fact. (New York Times) (Resolution 497)
Netanyahu and America’s stance on the Golan Heights
For many years, the United States has been very careful about their stance with Israel in terms of their politics and the land. Before Trump, America wanted the Israelis to work out their situation and didn't verbally recognize the Golan Heights or unrecognized the Golan Heights. By doing this, America wanted to push for a peace negotiation between the two countries about the area because it's extremely important and a big advantage to both counties. As well, because Israel claims they are a democracy, the US wanted to push them into a situation where they would use these democratic power and resolve the issue. If the United States does recognise the Golan Heights, it throws away a bargaining chip for them and an opportunity for Israel to negotiate and do the right thing in the United States’ mind. Moreover, if Syria and countries allied with Syria see this huge world power like the United States claim this area that arroring to the UN is illegal, shows a very good amount of disrespect towards UN policies by the United States. (New York Times) (Britannica: Golan Heights) (Resolution 497)
Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu who is the Prime Minister of Israel has always been for annexing the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza strip to assimilate the country into one. Though the Golan Druze and the people living the Golan Heights tally up to about 50,000, New York Times soces say that about half of those are non Druze Israelis. Slowly but surely, Israel has campaigned this to Israelis to go into the occupied territories and live there. So giving up the Golan heights is very bad in his view to do because of the amount of Israeli affiliated people there. (B. Alter) (New York Times)
Trump in Israeli Politics
In March of 2019 Trump made, what some would consider, rash decisions involving Israeli politics. On December 6, 2017 Trump announced that he will be moving the United states Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. On March 14, 2019, the US embassy in Jerusalem opened. This is such a big deal for the world because both Palestine and Israel both claim Jerusalem as their capital. By putting their embassy there, its shows that this is not Palestine and is verifying that Jerusalem is in fact Israel capital. Also since the United States is so powerful, it also pathed the way for other countries to move, like Guatemala, and other countries to to consider. As of May 2019, Israel has 88 embassies, 86 in Tel Aviv and two in Jerusalem. (New York Times)
About a week after, on March 21st 2019, President Trump did something that many people, even his American supporters, find very concerning. On the social media platform Twitter the President tweeted “After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!” (Donald J. Trump). This throws away this bargaining chip and the United States push for Israel to become more democratic. It is also a huge gift to the Israeli government with validation. Many people have said that the only reason that Trump said this is to help Netanyahu in his reelection. Trump debunked this claim in an interview with Fox saying that he was think about saying this for a long time. (Donald Trump) (New York Times)
The Druze opinion on this is very heavy. Because when nobody said anything about the Golan Heights being Israeli, it gave them hope that it could soon be reunited with Syria. But the United States is very influential and paths the way for other countries o agree with them. It is only a matter of time before more counties start to recognize the Golan Heights as Israel as well. (Druze on Golan Heights) (New York Times)
The Aftermath of Trump tweeting this reveals that in saying that the Golan Heights are Israel's, validates that acquiring territory by force is ok. For example, with what in happening in Ukraine and Russia. Russia has claimed that most of East Ukraine is now Russia but most of the international community doesn't recognize that claim. The Druze are a marginalised group that will not be silent with what is happening in the Golan Heights. What makes what is happening with Russia and Ukraine different than Syria and Israel different? (AJ+)(Druze on Golan Heights)(New York Times)
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