REPORT: Who Are the Druze, and Why Does Israel Feel Obligated to Protect Them?

What is happening in Syria? 

Syria’s Druze community came under attack this week (July 2025). Over 350 Druze people are reported to have been killed, when Syrian government forces clashed with Druze militias in the Southern-Syrian city of Suwayda. Whilst a ceasefire is now thought to have been agreed, the scenes from the clashes are shocking, showing members of the Druze community being killed en masse, and survivors being tormented and humiliated. 

These massacres did not cause outrage or protest in the streets of Western cities, the likes of which so often accompany rising tensions in the Middle East. Indeed, without the prospect of widespread plaudits or applause, Israel sought to intervene in defence of the Druze, commencing airstrikes against Syrian forces. 

Israel’s previous operations in Syria have been described as opportunistic, unnecessarily destroying military assets and preventing Syria from achieving long-term stability. Regardless of whether one agrees with that assessment, or rather take the view that the attacks on Syria are safeguarding Israel and its Northern borders against future threats, its motivation for coming to the defence of the Druze is rooted elsewhere.

Who are the Druze, and what is their relationship with Israel? 

The Druze people follow a monotheistic religion that branched off from Islam in the 10th Century.  The Druze community today is largely found in the Middle East, primarily in Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Like other minority groups in the region, their recent history has been plagued by persecution. 

The relationship between the state of Israel and its Druze community is also complex. The Druze people protested vehemently against Israel’s 2018 ‘Nation State Law’, and more recently, in 2023, the community clashed with Israeli police over plans to build wind turbines in Druze areas. 

Israel has a long history with the Druze community, with Druze presence in the land pre-dating the modern state of Israel. The relationship took on new meaning when Israel captured the Golan Heights, home to around 23,000 Druze people, from Syria in 1967, a result of the Six Day War. Israel later annexed this land in 1981. This left the Druze community of the Golan region divided, some in what is now Northern Israel and others in Southern Syria. Whilst initially the Druze community in the Israeli Golan largely refused to accept Israeli citizenship, instability in Syria and political enfranchisement in Israel has led many of the Israeli Golan’s Druze to believe there is a viable future for them in Israel. Despite this, most Druze still recognise the plight of their fellow Druze in Syria, and have a desire to be reunited with them.

But despite elements of discontent, deep ties remain between the state and the wider Druze community of Israel. Unbeknownst to many, Israel also had an acting President who was of Druze background, Majalli Wahabi. Many Druze fought alongside the Jews seeking to establish a state in Israel’s War of Independence, and the Druze continue to this day to defend the state of Israel, with 80% of Druze men serving in the IDF. Many have dedicated, and sacrificed, their lives to the protection of the State of Israel.

Why does Israel seek to protect the Druze? 

This history offers some clarity regarding Israel’s commitment to the Druze community, even beyond its borders. The Israeli Druze community, generally, is a loyal and increasingly well-integrated minority. However, their families in Syria are being persecuted, and they feel a sense of duty. The Israeli state recognises this.

 “Israel does not stand idly by when our allies and family members of Israelis – the sons and daughters of the Druze community, an integral part of us – are under attack and in danger of a horrific massacre.” Announced President Isaac Herzog, earlier this week. 

His words bear a resemblance to those of the Prime Minister, who said earlier in the year “We are obligated to our Druze brothers in Israel to do everything to prevent harm to their Druze brothers in Syria, and will take all the necessary steps to maintain their safety."

Israel is taking steps, beyond military intervention, to offer support to Syria’s Druze community. In March of this year, Israel permitted 60 Druze clerics to enter from Syria on a pilgrimage, the first of its kind since 1948. Around the same time, Israel also sent 10,000 humanitarian aid packages to the Druze community in Southern Syria. 

Israel is the Jewish state, but it is not a state just for Jews. To see otherwise mischaracterises the fabric of the nation, and fundamentally misunderstands the responsibilities its residents feel. Israeli and Druze soldiers in the IDF are said to share a “covenant of blood”; it is in that spirit, that Israel recognises its duty to the Druze in Syria. 

Sources: 
BBC News, “Who are the Druze and why is Israel attacking Syria?” accessed July 17, 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70xyv4z74go.

TRT World, “Who Are the Druze? A Look into a Mysterious and Resilient People,” TRT World, accessed July 17, 2025, https://trt.global/world/article/18242024.

EBSCO Research Starters, “Druze: Beliefs,” EBSCO, accessed July 17, 2025, https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/ethnic-and-cultural-studies/druze#:~:text=the%20ninth%20century.-,Beliefs,1021%2C%20shortly%20before%20he%20disappeared.

Emanuel Fabian, “New Chapter: Syrian Druze Clerics Enter Israel for First Pilgrimage There Since 1948,” The Times of Israel, May 1, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-chapter-syrian-druze-clerics-enter-israel-for-first-pilgrimage-there-since-1948/.

Jack Khoury, “The Druze Community in Israel, Explained,” Haaretz, July 28, 2024, https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-explains/2024-07-28/ty-article-magazine/.premium/the-druze-community-in-israel-explained/00000188-8c42-d3c4-afec-9ed397020000.

The Times of Israel, “Israel Won’t Stand Idly By When Druze Community Is Under Attack, Herzog Vows,” July 2, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-wont-stand-idly-by-when-druze-community-is-under-attack-herzog-vows/.

Museum of the Jewish People, “Israel’s Druze – Proud and Loyal Citizens,” ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, accessed July 17, 2025, https://motj.org.il/en/israels-druze/#:~:text=This%20is%20our%20state%2C%20we,was%20the%20heroism%20of%20Lt.

BBC News, “First Druze crossing in 50 years as Israel courts allies in Syria” accessed July 17, 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62z05wpdj4o.

HonestReporting, “Israeli Druze Community: A Covenant of Brotherhood,” HonestReporting, accessed July 17, 2025, https://honestreporting.com/israeli-druze-community-covenant-brotherhood/#:~:text=A%20Covenant%20of%20Blood:%20The,Play.