The violent clashes that took place last week between members of the Druze community from the Golan Heights and the Israeli police are a preview of what could happen after the end of Eid al-Adha in a week.
This is not only an assessment, it is also the feeling that prevailed among thousands of young Druze who participated in an emergency conference held in Kfar Yassif for all members of the community, in which, alongside the shots in the air, quite a few threats were heard, as well as an unequivocal demand that the Israeli government immediately stop the work to build the electricity turbines.
Druze throw Molotov cocktails and stones during protest in the Golan | Police Spokesperson's Office
The fear and fear in the political and security system of a terrifying scenario of an outburst of anger by members of the community are real, since this is not only the struggle of the Druze residents of the Golan Heights, but of the Druze citizens of Israel, who joined openly and even aggressively, and if a confrontation breaks out, there is a great chance that the entire Arab public will join it. It is no coincidence that the Israel Police made a sweeping decision last week and closed all traffic arteries leading to the Golan Heights.
The project is seen as a way to dispossess land
The Druze in the Middle East live in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel, and in every country they safeguard their interests by loyal to the country and regime in which they live.
Since 1967, the Druze in the Golan have considered themselves Syrians for all intents and purposes, loyal to the Assad regime (father and son), and refuse to accept Israeli citizenship. They are residents and not citizens, even though Israel is constantly trying to naturalize them, and this process has gained momentum following the danger of the fall of the Assad regime. However, in recent years, with its stabilization, the process has almost stalled.
Druze from the Golan Heights on the border, photo: AFP
Although the construction of the turbines is a private project that began years ago, and the company was assisted by consultants from the community, and even though some of the landowners signed agreements and received financial compensation, the community in the Golan and beyond now see it as another project of the state that aims to dispossess them of their lands, which is a continuation of national projects that harmed Druze ownership of their lands, such as the gas line and the railway in the Carmel Ridge. and the expropriation of land in Beit Jan village "Al Zabud".
All this, in addition to the severe sense of injustice on the part of the state towards the community, especially due to the enactment of the Nation-State Law and the Kaminitz Law, and the precarious state of infrastructure in Druze localities, which is no different from that in other Arab localities, despite the bloody alliance concluded between the community and the state, and despite the highest percentage of those serving in the security forces in Israel.
An opportunity to vent their rage
The fear in the political system and the security preparedness may be a more realistic and imminent scenario than people think, especially since there is already strong criticism among the members of the community over the remarks made by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who among all the populations of Israel chose to emphasize to them the issue of governance, and specifically at the home of the community's leader, Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, and some are even angry not only at the reception, But also about the joint photograph that came out of the meeting.
If the crisis is not resolved to the satisfaction of the community, i.e., the cancellation of the project, clashes may develop in the Golan Heights and the Galilee and Carmel, and this scenario is very close to reality if there is no dialogue between the state and the community's leadership.
This is an opportunity for members of the community, especially young people who do not obey the instructions of the religious and political leadership, to vent their anger and anger, especially those young people who served in the security forces and who today have difficulty finding land to build their homes, or who suffer fines of hundreds of thousands of shekels for building without permits inside or outside the master plans of their communities.
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