Tag Archive for Druze

| November 29, 2013
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3 Druze soldiers kept from entering nuclear facility

 

Despite impeccable enlistment record, three Druze IDF soldiers suffered discrimination.

Evidence reveals the IAF Druze soldiers were barred from entering Dimona nuclear research center for 30 minutes until security investigation was completed.

By Yossi Yoshuah

 

Israel‘s Druze community surpasses Jews in their percentage of IDF enlistment and the minority group will soon mark a milestone when Colonel Ghassan Alian will take command of the Golani Brigade – yet conscripted Druze still suffer discrimination within the army.

The Nuclear Research Center in Dimona – Archives: AFP

A Yedioth Aharonoth report based on undercover recordings revealed that there are those that are still skeptical of the Druze soldier’s loyalties and barred IAF Druze soldiers from joining their Jewish comrades in a military exercise in the sensitive Dimona nuclear center. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| October 25, 2013
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Druze Colonel to be next Commander of IDF’s Golani Brigade

Col. Rassan Alian fought (& was wounded) in the 2nd Lebanon War as Commander of the Rotem Battalion.

“Rassan is also a brother: we went through Officers’ Training Course in the same company,” reports Naftali Bennett.

By Gil Ronen

 

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, Chairman of the Bayit Yehudi faction, expressed satisfaction Thursday with the planned appointment of Col. Rassan Alian to head the Golani Brigade. Alian will be the first Druze to command the brigade.

Col. Rassan Alian – IDF Spokesman

The appointment will be formalized once Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon signs it.

“Rassan is a Druze,” Bennett told his Facebook friends. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| October 22, 2013
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Israeli Druze Join Assad vs. Israeli Arabs Join the Rebels

Israeli citizens are volunteering on both sides of Syria’s civil war. Golan Druze mostly support Assad while Israeli Arabs largely favor the rebel forces.

By Maayana Miskin

 

There are Israelis fighting on both sides of Syria’s civil war. While it has been known for months that some Israeli Arab men have entered Syria to join  rebel armies, Walla news is now reporting that several Druze men have snuck into Syria as well, to fight alongside President Bashar Assad’s forces.

Among them is 24 year-old Nadim Kadmani, who entered Syria illegally in 2012. Israeli police searched for him for weeks, until he phoned his parents and revealed that he was in Syria, and had been unable to make contact because he was being questioned by Assad’s forces. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| September 2, 2013
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Hundreds of Majdal Shams Druze rally support for Assad

 

 

Pro-Assad supporters among village’s Druze community insist the Syrian president couldn’t have been responsible for such attacks, and so they’re protesting against any int’l intervention, saying ‘Assad managed to maintain calm on Syria-Israel border for 40 years’

By Maor Buchnik

Several hundreds attended a pro-Assad in the Druze village of Majdal Shams Monday, carrying banners in favor of the Syrian president and condemning the prospect of a US attack on Syria.

Majdal Shams demonstration – Photo: Aviyahu Shapira

Zahad, local resident and a café owner, noted that protesters were interested in keeping Assad in the government and noted that he was also “against foreign intervention in the country, and not just because of Majdal Shams – it would be dangerous for Israel as well.” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| August 31, 2013
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Golan Druze now free to prefer Israel to Syria, in public

 

After 32 years of public anti-Israel rhetoric, the Druze of the Golan can now openly align with the Jewish state without Syrian retaliation.

By Aviel Schneider

 

 

In the shadow of the raging Syrian civil war, the 20,000 Druze who live in the Golan Heights are finally admitting publicly that they prefer life under Israeli sovereignty.

Golan Druze

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, and annexed the strategic plateau in 1981. All during that time, the Golan Druze leaned more anti-Israel for fear they would one day find themselves again under Syrian sovereignty. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| August 15, 2013
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As Syrian crisis deepens, young Druze from Golan seeking Israeli citizenship

 

 

More & more Druze opt to live and study in Israel for fear of that rebel Islamists in Syria might ‘slaughter’ them.

Expert: This could boost Israel’s claim to annexed Golan Heights territory

Aine Pennello

In the Golan Heights, a seemingly banal decision – where to go to college – is fast becoming the source of dozens of Israeli citizenship applications among young Druze, which could help legitimize Israel’s claim to the contested territory, experts say.

Golan Heights, Druze village square in Majdal Shams - Photo: Avihu Shapira

Golan Heights, Druze village square in Majdal Shams – Photo: Avihu Shapira

A small religious sect with a peaceful reputation, the Druze in the Golan Heights have long maintained a tradition of studying in Syria, home to approximately half the world’s Druze population. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| July 11, 2013
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Israeli Druze Students studying in Syria return home for summer break

Expressing their ambivalence at the prospect of returning

, dozens of Druze studying in Syria returned to Israel for their summer break, recall experiences & hardship of studying in a country at war.

Hassan Shaalan

Dozens of Druze students returned Thursday from Damascus to their Golan Heights homes to a slew of hugs and tears of joy on the part of their families.

התקבלו בשלום ובברכה (צילום: אביהו שפירא)

Students return from Syria – Photo: Avihu Shapira

A number of them spoke to Ynet and recalled the fear shrouding the country and expressed reservation regarding the prospect of returning to Bashar Assad‘s war-torn Syria for the remainder of their studies. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| July 5, 2013
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IDF’s Druze Herev Battalion Tests New Fighting Techniques for Engaging Hezbollah

Israel’s Druze battalion developed successful techniques for fighting Hezbollah, based on years of experience operating on Israel’s northern border & including the Lebanon War II.

In a battalion-wide exercise last week the battalion’s new methods were tested.

By IDF Spokesperson’s Office

 

The IDF’s Herev Battalion, made up of members of Israel’s Druze community, has gained many years of experience performing unique missions near the Israel-Lebanon border. In the 2006 Second Lebanon War, for instance, Herev was the first force to cross the border and the last to return – exhausted from completing a range of complex missions that earned the unit a citation. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| June 23, 2013
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Israeli Druze appeal to gov’t to aid family members in Syria

Israeli Druze leaders from northern Israel have asked the Israeli government to allow their children who are in Syria to return to home.

By Chana Ya’ar

 

Druze leaders in northern Israel have appealed to the Israeli government to allow their children who had crossed the border into Syria and stayed there, back into the Jewish State.

In a written request to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the leaders asked not only for the students to return home, but also for permits for the Syrian relatives of the students – spouses and other family members – to cross the border to safety in Israel. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| June 6, 2013
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The Druze community celebrates 40 years of IDF combat service for Israel

Despite the Druze being an Arabic-speaking minority, Israeli Druze have always seen themselves as blood brothers with the Jews, proudly wanting to defend their country, the State of Israel.

By Israel Today Staff

 

Israel’s Druze population last week celebrated 40 years since the establishment of a special, elite infantry unit for members of the community joining the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The all Druze, 'Swords' 299 unit of the IDF celebrate 40 years of combat service

The all Druze, ‘Swords’ 299 unit of the IDF celebrate 40 years of combat service

Israel officially exempts minority groups from mandatory military service, but shortly after the Jewish state’s modern rebirth, leaders of the Druze community demanded that Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, also draft their young men for service. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| May 11, 2013
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Golan Druze divided over Syrian strife

The Druze residents of Majdal Shams differ in opinion over Assad’s regime, with some angrily calling alleged Israeli air-strike ‘terrorism,’ while others are calling for Syrian president’s elimination.

By Hassan Shaalan

 

 

Most residents of northern Druze village of Majdal Shams believe that a war will break out soon. The explosion shockwaves are very well felt in the border-adjacent Druze village, in which most residents profess they are part of the Syrian people.

מג'דל שמס. על הגבול (צילום: Google Maps)

Majdal Shams – Photo: Google Maps

The latest alleged Israeli attack in Syria caused much controversy in the village. Some residents support the Assad regime, and see the attack as “a terrorist act”. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , ,
| April 15, 2013
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Druse Share in Israel’s Joy & Sorrow

392 Israeli Druse have been killed while serving in the IDF.

The Druse have served & defended Israel in all its wars

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON

 

Israel’s Druse community is proud to take part in both Remembrance Day and Independence Day, identifying itself as an integral part of the state whose members have served in all of the wars in its history.

Druse hospitality – Photo Courtesy

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there are around 130,000 Druse in Israel.

Among them, 20,000 live on the Golan and are seen as distinct in terms of national loyalty as they tend to identify with Syria as opposed to Israel.

Continue Reading »
Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| February 22, 2013
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IDF & Residents Ready for a possible ‘Volatile’ Golan Heights

The conflict in Syria has drawn many Druze residents of the Golan closer to Israel. More & more have requested Israeli citizenship.

By Maayana Miskin

 

The IDF is prepared for a new reality in the Golan as Syria continues to descend into chaos, Brigadier-General (ret.) Kobi Marom told Arutz Sheva.

“The IDF has prepared for the new reality that will be in the Golan,” he said. “There are fears of an escalation, and serious concern that if there is violence [in the region] the target will not be Assad.”

“It’s a problematic reality, and the IDF has prepared accordingly,” he continued. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| December 3, 2012
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Syria war scares Druze students from enrolling

A Traditionally robust enrollment of Druze students to Syrian universities shrinks considerably as only a quarter applied to war-torn Syria for 2012

Hassan Shaalan

 

Against the backdrop of Syria’s ongoing war between Bashar Assad‘s loyalists and rebel forces, academic institutions in Syria have seen a drop in the number of Druze applicants. Up until last year, some 200 students applied to Syrian universities annually, but this year, Syrian academies said that only 58 Israel-based Druze students, a Syrian source reported.

Bombing in Syria – Photo: AP

A resident of the Druze town of Majdal Shams in Israel’s Northern Golan Heights told Ynet that over the past year as a student in a Syrian university she felt her life was in danger. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| August 8, 2012
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Knesset Member Kara: Israel is helping Syrian refugees in ‘hidden ways’

“I spoke to Syrian ministers disillusioned by Assad’s regime,” says MK Kara; Foreign Ministry & diplomatic officials deny sending any aid.

By LAHAV HARKOV, HERB KEINON

 

Deputy Minister Ayoub Kara (Likud) said he is facilitating aid to Syrian refugees and has been in contact with Syrian government officials considering defection.

A number of diplomatic officials in Jerusalem, however, said they were unaware of humanitarian aid from Israel being sent to Syrian refugees.

Deputy Minister of the Negev and Galilee Ayoub Kar

Ayoub Kara, Deputy Minister of the Negev and Galilee

Earlier this year Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman turned to the International Committee of the Red Cross with an offer of humanitarian aid for the Syrians. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
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