Israel plans to give Syrian Druze work permits as Jerusalem intensifies outreach to Druze community

Amid the war at home and rising threats in Syria, Israel in recent months intensified its outreach to the Druze community, both at home as well as in southern Syria.

Within Israel, the war has brought the Druze closer to the society's mainstream. Hundreds of Galilean Druze, including high-ranking officers, fought in the IDF's ranks and several gave their lives in the defense of the country.

Tragedy and loss also brought the previously distant Druze of the Golan Heights closer to the rest of the country.

Following these developments and the rise of an Islamist government in Syria, Israel decided to pledge support and defense to the Druze community in Syria, where the southeastern province of Suweida is mainly populated by the minority.

In an unprecedented development, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel plans to issue work visas to Syrian Druze workers, who could come work in the Israeli Golan Heights, according to i24 News.

"Soon, we will allow Druze workers from Syria to come to work in communities of the Golan Heights in Israel," Katz said, praising the contributions of the Druze community to Israel.

"As defense minister, I salute them for their loyalty and bravery and their contribution to Israel's security in difficult and crucial times," he said. "We will continue to strengthen them and also protect their brothers in Syria against any threat."

The Israeli government approved a five-year plan to assist in the development of the Druze and Circassian communities in northern Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Sunday.

The Circassian community is an even smaller Israeli minority, numbering some 5,000 people.

Originally hailing from the Caucasus region, they were settled in the land of Israel by the Ottomans in the 1870s. The Circassians are mainly Muslim, but like the Druze, their men serve compulsory military service in the IDF.

The plan, which has a budget of 3.9 billion shekels, “will see a subsidized development cost in tending land for security personnel and rehabilitating and developing infrastructure, public spaces, public institutions in the towns, and more.”

There are approximately 150,000 Druze in Israel, most of them living in the country's north.

The Druze and the Circassian peoples are the only non-Jewish groups required to serve in the Israeli Defense Force, though, unlike for Jewish Israelis, this requirement applies only to men.

In a statement announcing the plan, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s commitment to the Druze community, saying that “this commitment extends not only to the Druze in Israel but also to those in the broader region, particularly in Syria.”

The Druze, an ethnoreligious group, also has significant communities in both Lebanon and Syria.

“They fight alongside us, shoulder to shoulder,” Netanyahu said. “We share a unique alliance – what we call a ‘blood pact.’ But I say, it’s not just a blood pact – it’s also a pact of life.”

Smotrich made a similar statement, saying that “the deep bond between the State of Israel and the Druze and Circassian communities is not just a blood pact, but a pact of life, and we are committed to it through action.”

The Times of Israel cited Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israeli Druze, responding to the plan’s announcement.

“I’m glad that the prime minister emphasized this commitment and partnership, which must be translated into the language of action,” Sheikh Tarif said.