Druze clerics stand near the border, as they wait for buses carrying members of the Syrian Druze community to cross from Syria in the village of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. AP
The nearly 100 Syrian Druze crossed the heavily-fortified border area in three buses, escorted by members of the Israeli military. They are expected to visit a religious shrine on the Israeli side of the border.
The rare visit comes three months after the end of a five-decade grip on power by the Assad family in Syria. Israel has said it is ready to protect the Druze of Syria if they come under attack by the country’s new rulers.
Many Druze have rejected Israel’s overtures, and critics accuse Israel of trying to weaken and divide Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
Upon arrival, a group of Druze from the Israeli-occupied Golan heights welcomed the Syrian Druze at the crossing point who waved the multi-coloured flag of the religious minority, chanting in Arabic “It is written on our doors, welcome to our beloved ones.”
Historic crossing
“This is a historic visit between families. We have families inside (Syria), and they are the same when they come. They have families here,” said Majdal Shams, resident Jawlan Abu Zed. “They are religious men who are coming to visit the holy sites, just like our Sunni brothers who go to visit Mecca, just like our Christian brothers who go to visit the Vatican.”
The Druze is one of the Middle East's most insular religious sects, beginning as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam. Most Druze religious practices are shrouded in secrecy, with outsiders not allowed to convert.
Over half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel and the Golan Heights, a rocky plateau seized from Syria by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel’s 1981 annexation of the area is recognized only by the United States, with the rest of the world considering it occupied Syrian territory.
Crossing from Syria into Israeli-occupied territory was restricted in the past. The religious leadership of the Druze sect in Lebanon have urged clerics not to visit Israel, saying those who do it will be violating its orders.
Although Israeli citizenship is open for the Druze of the Golan Heights, most have opted not to take it, though they have residency rights.
Some families are split apart by what is known as the Alpha Line, the start of a buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied area of the Golan Heights from Syria. They navigate their historically Syrian identity while living under Israeli rule.
On the Syrian side of the border, the Druze generally adopted Arab nationalism, including support for the Palestinian cause.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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