Syrian Druze religious elders make historic visit to Israel

JULIS, Israel,— A delegation of Druze religious elders from Syria entered Israel on Friday, marking the first such visit in more than five decades. The visit highlights Israel’s support for the Druze community amid rising tensions with Syria’s new Islamist government.

Around 100 Druze sheikhs from villages near Mount Hermon in Syria, which overlooks the Israeli Golan Heights, are touring religious sites, including the shrine believed to be the tomb of Prophet Shuayb, located west of Tiberias in the Lower Galilee.

After crossing into the Golan Heights, the group was greeted by Druze supporters in traditional black attire and white and red headwear.

Some waved the Druze flag, which features the colors white, blue, yellow, red, and green. They then traveled by bus to Julis, a town in Israel, where they met with Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze in Israel.

Nazeh Rakab, a member of the delegation from Hadar, Syria, expressed his pride in the visit. “Feeling proud and honored to visit here. We are one family and brothers,” Rakab said as hundreds gathered in Julis to welcome the delegation, waving Druze flags and firing celebratory shots into the air from rooftops.

The Druze, an Arab minority group with religious roots in Islam, live in a region that spans across Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and the Golan Heights.

The community maintains strong kinship ties across these borders. In Israel, many Druze serve in the military and police, with some attaining senior ranks, including during the recent Gaza conflict.

While the visit is officially a religious event, its political significance is evident. The trip coincided with Israeli airstrikes on Syrian positions, which Israel identified as command centers of the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad movement in Damascus.

Israel’s ministers have voiced concerns over the new Syrian administration under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, labeling his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement as a Islamic Jihadist group. The movement, once affiliated with Al-Qaeda, has since distanced itself from the organization.

In addition to the visit, Israel recently sent humanitarian aid to Syria, including oil, flour, salt, and sugar, with much of the aid directed to the southern province of Suwayda.

Earlier this week, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Syrian Druze would be allowed to enter and work in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured during the 1967 war.

Israel also reiterated its commitment to protecting Druze in Syria if necessary.

(With files from Reuters)