The Syrian Drus delegation at the weekend has a rare visit to Israel on the pilgrimage to the sanctuary because Israel is trying to extend its influence inside Syria after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Both Israel and Syria have considerable minorities that belong to the Drus-Arabian-speaking religious minority sect throughout the Levant region. But with Israel and Syria formally in the war for decades, Syrian dusy In general, they were unable to enter Israel to visit the holy places in their faith.
Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, leader Drus in Israel, who helped organize a two -day visit, said he had arrived about 100 people on a convoy of Syrian territory on Friday. They also visited the Tomb of the Prophet Shuaiba in the northern Galilean region of Israel, a place that was deeply worshiped in their faith.
“After they have been cut off for decades to see our people who arrived in our country – it is a moment of great joy,” said Mr. Tariff, adding that he knew most of the visitors only from telephone interviews, given the big problems with traveling between the two countries.
In Israel, many Druse holds Israeli passports, serves in the National Army and is considered a loyal “brothers in his arms”. Others in Golan Heights, the territory that Israel captured from Syria in the Middle East in 1967, still holds Syrian identity and has Israeli residential cards, not citizenship.
From the beginning of December, Mr. Al-Assad’s dictatorship has started fire to fire aerial strikes on Syria, reporting that it is aimed at preventing the accumulation of enemy forces near its borders. However, the movements raised concerns about the Syrians about the lengthy Israeli occupation of the Syrian territory.
At the same time Israel addressed the Syrian Druse, many of whom live Village and Cities in South Syriaas potential partners.
Drus’s militias in Syria are under pressure to integrate into the united national army, which the new president is trying to establish. Israeli officials suggested that Israel be able to intervene on behalf of Dru, including military, if they got under the threat of government forces.
David Mencer, a spokesman for the Israeli government, said This week, when Israel was “ready to defend if necessary, the Drus population in Syria before the forces of the new regime”. The main Syrian Dru Militi refused the offer.
Israel Katz, Israeli Defense Minister, said this week that Israel is preparing to allow some Syrian species to work in Israel in Golan Heights.
Duse belongs to a sect that broke away from Islam about 1,000 years ago, and eventually became a separate religion. Its members, now scattered between Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and northern Israel, have often found themselves on the opposing sides of conflicts in the region.
Since the fall of Mr. Al-Assad, the Israeli troops have marched on Syrian territory and confiscated the bumper zone with an area of 155 square kilometers and bombed targets across the country. Israeli officials condemned the new government in Damascus for their Islamist leadership and stated that their forces would remain on Syrian territory in the foreseeable future.
New Syrian President, Ahmed al-SharaHe called on the international community to push Israel to resign. He also claimed that his government was not a threat to his neighbors or religious minorities, such as Dus, because Syria is tired of war.
