Dozens of Druze in northern Israel demonstrate against Islamist violence in Syria

Dozens of members of Israel’s Druze community protested at the Kafr Yasif junction in the Western Galilee, near Acre, on Wednesday, in response to the sectarian clashes that took place over the past 24 hours in the city of Jaramana, near Damascus, Syria.

During the protest, tires were set on fire and major traffic routes, including access to military cemeteries in the area, were blocked, causing heavy traffic congestion. 

Police said that the protests were illegal, and that officers were present at the scene to maintain public order and help participants in various Remembrance Day ceremonies reach their destinations safely.

Likud Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen at the Druze Remembrance Day ceremony in Mughar said that the “alliance between the people of Israel and the Druze community transcends borders. The State of Israel will not sit idly by if they try to harm the Druze beyond the state’s borders.” 

The clashes in Syria near Damascus

More than a dozen people were killed in the predominantly Druze town near the Syrian capital on Tuesday in clashes sparked by a purported recording of a Druze man cursing the Prophet Mohammad, which angered Sunni gunmen, rescuers, and security sources said.

Half of those killed were members of the Druze community, and the rest were Syrian security personnel who were trying to break up the violence.

The Syrian Interior Ministry announced that an investigation into the matter has been opened. 

“Security forces were deployed to disperse the riots and protect residents. We are committed to prosecuting all those involved, and the investigation to identify who is behind the recording is ongoing,” the Syrian Interior Ministry stated in response. 

The spiritual leader of the Druze in Syria, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, condemned the acts of violence and called for an investigation into all parties involved—both the regime and the extremist factions.

“The murder of Druze by Islamist gangs is unjustifiable and aims to ignite civil war and spread terror,” he said in a recorded statement.

Al-Hijri added that the Druze are now being falsely accused of betrayal and heresy. “Where is the protection we were promised? What is the government in Damascus doing? Why is it silent?” he asked.

He stated that the accusations claiming a Druze cleric cursed the Prophet Muhammad are completely false.

“The Druze have lived in harmony with their neighbors for hundreds of years and are careful to respect all religions and beliefs,” he emphasized.

In March, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to prepare for the defense of the Druze town, located just about three kilometers from the center of Damascus.

“We will not allow the extremist Islamic terror regime in Syria to harm the Druze,” Netanyahu and Katz said in a statement.

“We have instructed the IDF to prepare and deliver a strong and clear warning: If the regime harms the Druze, it will be harmed by us,” they added.

Reuters and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

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