The Druze anticipate one of the possible futures for the Middle East

By: Ricardo Israel - 27/07/2025

After what happened with the fall of the Shah and the rise of the ayatollahs, and after the failure of the Arab Spring, I am reluctant to speak of "historic changes" in the Middle East, since those outside the region tend to be mistaken. With that caution, it has gone relatively unnoticed that the most important change in decades has already taken place: the de facto alliance between the Sunni Arab countries and Israel. That is, old enemies grew so close that Israel was militarily aided by former adversaries due to their mutual fear of the Iranian atomic bomb, something that is difficult for the do-gooders of the West to understand.

It also seems to be going relatively unnoticed that what is happening to the Druze in Syria, and what Israel is doing on their behalf, could mark a similarly important change, as it could result in a new territorial arrangement, this time to challenge the borders constructed by colonial powers—in this case, the French, rather than British, part of what was known as Greater Syria. There, a territory was carved out to create in Lebanon what was supposed to be a country where Christians would not feel discriminated against, a dream shattered by the civil war and Hezbollah. Now, the situation of the Druze could mark a trend toward new territorial arrangements for minorities in Syria, given the real possibility of the country's fragmentation, a scenario viewed with fear, given the experience of the last failed attempt in Libya. In that country, Sarkozy's French intervention, in the name of goodwill and noble ideals, ended not only in Gaddafi's death, but in an anarchy that is more threatening to Europe today than the colonel's final years.

If this process materializes into independence, autonomy, or real federalization, it would be a significant transformation, given the jihadist origins of Ahmed al-Charaa (formerly Abu Mohamed al-Golani), the new president, since the idea of minorities is completely alien to Islamism, fundamentalism, or political Islam, as has been demonstrated wherever they have held power in the past.

If this materializes, there are several human groups in different Middle Eastern countries, not only Israel and the Palestinians, but also Arab nations, as well as Iran and Turkey, which would be a positive development in relation to the disaster left by the colonial powers—the United Kingdom in the partition, and France in Syria—both in Africa. Responsibility has not been assumed and is hidden behind their current discourse of moral superiority. An example of this is the recent declaration by 25 countries, which once again hold Israel alone responsible for what is happening in Gaza. This is a legitimate concern, but blaming Israel alone is not. In fact, no Arab country signed it, nor did any of them witness the anti-Semitism in some European cities, nor did anything similar to that seen at American universities take place in those countries. This is an expression of the new relationship between those who went to war in the past and who now allowed Israeli planes to fly into Tehran, just as in 2024 they had collaborated to intercept Iranian missiles heading toward Israel.

The Druze number just over a million people, and like other groups, they share a territorial relationship, divided between Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and, to a lesser extent, Jordan. The Druze are not unique, but they are undoubtedly different, as expressed both in their religious beliefs and in their collective consciousness. They are an Arabic-speaking religious group and do not identify as Muslims, as they practice an Abrahamic religion (of Abraham), both monotheistic and syncretic. It also draws on the teachings of Greek philosophers and, among others, incorporates elements of Gnosticism, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism, as well as the Hermetic branch of Ismaili Shiism.

They are of Arab ethnicity, defining themselves as a people without borders, a quality shared by several in the vicinity, and just to mention a few such as Kurds, Yazidis, and Bedouins, the latter with whom they have clashed in Syria through their respective militias, exactly the reality that was hidden when France and the United Kingdom imposed the model of a centralized country, in Iraq and Syria, as well as in others.

The Druze have preserved not only their religion but also a way of being and existing, with their own traditions, for more than a millennium. They are a religious minority in all the countries where they are found, and have frequently been persecuted by Muslim regimes, including the current extremism of political Islam, with Israel being a virtual exception, where they have enjoyed acceptance and integration, including a very distinguished record in the armed forces, so much so that Netanyahu and other prime ministers have always referred to them as "brothers." Some Druze have been here since 1948, but many who lived in the Golan Heights were incorporated from Syria, along with that territory, after 1967.

The history of the creation of the Druze faith is set between the years 1017 and 1018 AD, a millennial continuity that is not easy to convey to readers, listeners and viewers, where some characteristics stand out, such as respect for the different forms of government of the countries where they are located, at the same time making it difficult for strangers to convert to their religion as well as discouraging marriages outside the faith, with a special peculiarity, in the sense of religious practices that are kept secret, all of them characteristics that make it difficult for extremism to respect them as they do not do with other minorities, starting with those who are their first victims, other Muslims, which is why, unlike in the West, these fundamentalist groups are illegal in several Arab countries.

Since the change of government, there have been previous attacks against the Druze in Syria, among other reasons such as fear of jihadism; during the civil war, like other minorities, they supported the dictatorship of the al-Assad family, or in the case of Egypt, different minorities supported the army coup in July 2013 against the Muslim Brotherhood, where Mohamed Morsi had become the first Egyptian president elected in free elections in the country's history, part of the complexity of the Middle East, which escapes those in the West, starting with politicians and the media, who only care about Israel and the Palestinians, unfortunately in a very biased way.

Global interest in the Druze only emerged with the massacre that took place a couple of weeks ago in the Syrian province of Suida (Spanish for "Sweida"), which is not without reason known as Jabal al-Druze or Druze Mountain. Israel's military intervention, which included bombings in Damascus, was instrumental in preventing the situation from getting worse, although the death toll in any case was in the hundreds. The international coverage led to negotiations, forcing the government to be present, having until then largely ignored its obligation to protect Druze citizens.

If Israel did so, it was at the request of the Druze living in that country, but Israel has long been present, confronting Iran and Hezbollah during the civil war and after the fall of the dictatorship, with a presence in the border area, mainly the one that had been demilitarized since the Yom Kippur War, with attacks on places abandoned by the army and their respective arsenals, to prevent them from falling into jihadist hands, due to a publicly stated fact: Israel will not accept Syria becoming a new Lebanon, from where it will be attacked for years, an experience that leads them to act preemptively. Furthermore, behind the new government is Erdogan's Turkey, which constitutes an additional concern.

When so many media outlets rarely report on situations other than Israel and the Palestinians, the existence of a variety of similar cases may seem novel, although not identical, nevertheless similar, in the sense that they are human groupings, easily distinguishable, whether in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, Iran, Turkey or elsewhere, which in any future agreement should be considered at least as part of a federalization, but with a true decentralization and not similar to those countries that call themselves federal without really being so.

Given the special moment Syria is experiencing, the Druze are those who could anticipate the future for these stateless peoples, in the sense of recognizing them and moving toward new forms of self-government. This could lead to independence in some cases, or at least autonomy, or to arrangements other than those mentioned, as could be the case with the Yazidis, who in the past have sought to be part of a federalized future Kurdish state. However, for this process to move forward, a true cultural shift in the way power is exercised is needed, since the concepts of diversity or minorities have never been accepted, not even in monarchies. This, in turn, would require abandoning forced centralization and the imposition of compulsory official religions.

Furthermore, even before Syria, this was already a process underway, as demonstrated by the real de facto autonomy enjoyed by the Kurds in Iraq since the US withdrawal. This could also impact Turkey, which does not grant them sufficient rights and instead represses them, or Iran, which, as the heir to the Persian Empire, has an Arab minority within it that feels discriminated against, as well as a protest movement calling for the creation of Baluchistan, which wants to separate from Pakistan, but which also operates, including with terrorist attacks in Sistan and Baluchistan, from neighboring Iran.

A Middle East, which, moreover, is based on data rather than narrative, reveals a reality where, contrary to the anti-Semitic narrative, one of the countries with the deepest historical roots and greatest integration of minorities is precisely the hated Israel. Despite this, global media outlets like the BBC strangely blamed Israel for what is happening in Syria, despite the fact that its victory over Iran and Hezbollah was key to their failure to rescue the dictatorship as they had done in the past.

If the changes actually observable in the region coincided with those taking place in the world, starting with the United States, it would be another reason to promote the alliance, which is just emerging and perhaps needs a Palestinian state to materialize publicly, between Israel and the Sunni Arab countries, which could also include Lebanon, perhaps the appropriate alliance for the reality that has emerged in the region following Israel's military triumph in its seven-front war.

Israel, whether it likes it or not, is already involved, a relevant player, and must be an active part of what it helped create. Furthermore, it would greatly help it avoid repeating past mistakes, which it still regrets, such as, for example, its unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000 and from Gaza in 2005, since these gestures achieved nothing and helped no one, as is the case with the Christians in Lebanon crushed by Hezbollah or the Palestinian Authority suffering at the hands of Hamas, a fear that conditioned them to this day.

Dialogue between Arab countries and Israel, and above all, the notion of shared interests, can shape a more peaceful Middle East, which would help not only Israel but also the Arabs avoid suffering the domination of actors who have shown they don't care much for them, such as the Turkish heirs of the Ottoman Empire and the Persian ayatollahs. The added bonus is that both have sought to displace the Arabs in the name of Islam. I believe someone like bin Salman is clear about this in Saudi Arabia, in addition to spearheading, together with the Gulf countries, a gigantic process of modernization in their countries. Furthermore, and very importantly, in favor of joint work with Israel, these are countries that, by living in the region, have something that the West demonstrably lacks: real knowledge of those cultures and mentalities.

Israel has already had the bad experience that good-natured gestures don't work in the Middle East, no matter how well-intentioned. What has always worked is respect for power and those who wield it, so unilateral withdrawal didn't work for Obama either, with his dishonest ultimatum to al-Assad in the Syrian civil war.

The reasonable course of action, and what is expected of Israel in Arab capitals, is to act in accordance with the economic, technological, and military status it has acquired. Countries are pleased that the expansionist ambitions of the Iranian ayatollahs have been halted for now. This is undoubtedly an opportunity to act politically rather than militarily, since the disintegration of Syria would be a terrible scenario for the region. Therefore, if there is broad cooperation, with the participation of all, a solution could be agreed upon to avoid this disintegration.

Darwin taught that evolution is a gradual process, where survival is best not for the fittest, but for those with the ability to adapt to change. Israel is achieving this by adapting to its environment, thus fulfilling the founders' dream of integration into the region in which it lives. By winning wars, it has gained acceptance from its neighbors; now the question is whether an alliance to build peace, which has so far elusive, is possible.

Of course, nothing will stop the hand of those who hate Israel above all else, as a new offensive by those who do not accept it is looming. This offensive has diminished in the Middle East but has grown in the European Union. This poison has also spread in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, combined with political changes resulting from the presence in important positions of descendants of immigrants who now support jihadism, in addition to being a growing electoral force. This is a new version of lawfare, that legal war or guerrilla warfare that seeks to use legal systems to exploit judicial systems.

It's no longer about accusations of "genocide" against the country, nor about trade or investments, but now the goal is to paralyze travel by Israelis, accusing them as individuals of "crimes" such as having committed war crimes for having served in the armed forces, seeking to imprison them on tourist trips abroad, something that has already been tested in countries that accept some form of universal jurisdiction, such as Brazil, Belgium, and Argentina, where their courts have jurisdiction beyond their borders.

It's a type of accusation that will surely grow in number, in scenarios and on issues where Israel has proven particularly ineffective, as well as in image and narrative construction, in a scenario that has been sensitized by established narratives, including those of Hamas and Iran, despite the proven fact that the accusations of "genocide" and "apartheid" were developed by the Soviet KGB in reaction to the victory in the Six-Day War, and that they were also successful in the 1975 UN vote, when the General Assembly passed Resolution 3379, which declared Zionism a form of racism and racial discrimination. It was repealed in 1991 by Resolution 46/86, which received a favorable vote of 111 countries, at a time when the US was the sole superpower and as a condition demanded by Israel to participate in the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference, the precursor to Oslo.

And if I mention these facts, what happened, what is happening, and what will most certainly happen, it is because of the need for Israel to confront these issues, which combine politics, war, and international relations, so that passivity is abandoned and an intelligent counteroffensive is organized. Just as in this seven-front war, image issues, which are a form of hybrid warfare, can harm the very auspicious relationship we have with Arab countries, as has undoubtedly already happened with Europe. In this regard, it is hard to understand why, if Israel adapts quickly to new challenges, as is happening in Syria, it is unable to address the issue of its image.

In Israel's negotiations with Syria, a demilitarized zone appears to have been agreed upon, with Israel pledging to protect Druze rights. If the possibility of creating an autonomous zone for them were to emerge, it would be possible for other peoples to redraw colonial maps, so it would be regrettable if the international debate were to be harmed by this Israeli lack of image. As David Ben-Gurion said best, "History is in our hands. We cannot change the past, but we can shape the future."

@israelzipper

Master's and PhD in Political Science (Essex University), Bachelor of Law (University of Barcelona), Lawyer (University of Chile), former presidential candidate (Chile, 2013)

«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».