Israel’s Druze protest against inequality and lament significant war losses

On July 2, a tree-planting ceremony was held in the Ahihud Forest in northern Israel to commemorate the nine Druze soldiers who died in the War of the Iron Swords.

The army announced yesterday that another Druze soldier, Maj. Jalaa Ibrahem, company commander of the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion, was killed in the line of duty in the Gaza Strip.

For the Druze, loyalty to the state in which they live is a religious obligation that is often manifested in military and police service. The Druze and the Circassian community have a long tradition of military service in Israel, a tradition of loyalty that many feel is not reciprocated by the government in civil matters such as housing, planning and community development.

Systemic problems such as the Kaminitz Law and the Nation-State Law, which are seen as discriminatory, as well as restrictive building regulations and less government financial support compared to Jewish communities, are hampering the Druze’s ability to spread and develop. Against the backdrop of nationwide demonstrations on various societal fronts, Druze are protesting the inequalities they face because they are treated differently with regard to their rights than with regard to their service obligations.

The protests, which include a large gathering in Jerusalem, are intended to highlight these discrepancies and push for change that aligns the community’s civil treatment with its contribution to national security. To learn more, read Giorgia Valente’s recent article for The Media Line, in which she highlights the Druze community’s sense of dual identity: They are treated like Jews in terms of military service, but like Arabs in terms of civil rights.