Israel’s Druze Protest Inequality, Mourn Significant War Loses
On July 2, a tree-planting ceremony at Ahihud Forest in northern Israel commemorated nine Druze soldiers who died in the Iron Swords war.
The army announced yesterday that another Druze soldier, Maj. Jalaa Ibrahem, a company commander in the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion, was killed in the line of duty in the Gaza Strip.
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For the Druze community, loyalty to the state they reside in is a religious commitment, often manifested through military and police service. The Druze, along with the Circassian community, have a long-standing history of military service in Israel, a tradition of loyalty that many feel is not reciprocated by the government in civil matters such as housing, planning, and community development.
Systemic issues like the Kaminitz Law and the nation-state law, which are seen as discriminatory, along with restrictive building regulations and less governmental financial support compared to Jewish communities, impact the ability of the Druze to expand and develop. Amid a backdrop of demonstrations countrywide from multiple societal fronts, the Druze are protesting to address the inequalities they face as a response to being treated differently regarding rights compared to their service obligations.
The protests, including a significant gathering in Jerusalem, aim to highlight these discrepancies and push for a change that aligns the community’s civil treatment with their contributions to national security. To learn more, read Giorgia Valente’s latest for The Media Line, which highlights the Druze community’s sense of dual identity: treated like Jews in terms of national service but like Arabs in terms of civil rights.
