A delegation of Syrian Druze clerics headed to Israel on Friday, marking the first such visit since Israel’s creation in 1948.
The pilgrimage, organised at the invitation of the Druze community in Israel, has stirred controversy, with critics suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the visit to bolster his image as a protector of the Druze community.
The delegation of around 60 clerics gathered near the village of Hader, located in the demilitarised buffer zone of the occupied Golan Heights, under the watchful eye of Israeli soldiers recently deployed to the area, AFP reported.
A source close to the delegation told AFP that the visit had been met with “strong opposition” from other Druze in Syria.
Two buses awaited their arrival on the Israeli side, transporting them to the Tomb of Nabi Shuaib in Galilee, a revered site in the Druze faith, the news agency said. They are also set to meet Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community.
The visit comes at a politically charged moment. Following the removal of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad in December – ending more than five decades of Assad family rule – Israel has taken a more assertive stance on the Golan Heights, deploying troops and engaging in humanitarian efforts targeting the Druze in Syria. Last Wednesday, Israel’s Druze community sent a second shipment of food aid to their fellow Druze in Syria, AFP said.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned Syria’s new leadership against persecuting the Druze, following deadly clashes in Damascus between government-linked forces and Druze fighters in early March. Mr Katz said that Israel would not allow Syria’s new rulers to “harm the Druze,” a statement that was quickly rejected by Druze leaders in Syria, who reaffirmed their commitment to a united Syria.
While the visit is being presented as a religious pilgrimage, some analysts argue that Israel is leveraging the occasion to solidify ties with the Druze community in Syria. The Druze are divided between Syria, Israel, Lebanon and the Golan Heights.
Druze leaders in Syria are currently in negotiations with the country’s new rulers over a deal that could see their armed groups integrated into national security forces. The Druze, who make up around three per cent of Syria’s population, largely remained neutral during the country’s 13-year civil war, focusing on self-defence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that southern Syria must be completely demilitarised, warning that his government would not accept the presence of the forces of the new Islamist-led government near its territory.