Raising the Flag of Occupation in Sweida
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Raising the Flag of Occupation in Sweida

No one concerned with political affairs can ignore what happened in the Syrian Sweida last Saturday, during a protest gathering at the Al-Karama Square in the center of Sweida, which included chants of "the people want Israel" and the raising of the Israeli occupation flag over the headquarters of the Druze spiritual leadership - Al-Jarbou family - which opposes Sheikh Al-Hajri's orientation.

Undoubtedly, thousands of members of the Druze community were bothered by this excessive enthusiasm for Israel, viewing it as unnecessary and harmful actions, much like many others from different Syrian sects and the Arabs in general, especially among the Palestinians who are currently suffering from a genocidal war by this fascist regime, which has exterminated more than 18,000 children without any moral pause.

There are many disputes in interpreting and clarifying what has happened and is happening in Syria, and the days may reveal or not reveal the truth, as many truths are distorted, and there are fabricated stories and hidden events, as well as transgressions that every decent person rejects, and there are hands that manipulate without caring about the blood of Syrians regardless of their sect; what matters to them is their own interests above all.

In this painful reality, sectarian tension has turned into a fierce wave that has harmed and will harm everyone if it does not stop and is resolved through peaceful and negotiable means.

I would like to draw the attention of the dazzled Druze Syrian brothers who are enamored with Israel and call for it to annex Sweida: Israel, which enshrined a nationality law, did not even respect its non-Jewish citizens in a formal manner.

The State of Israel is the state of the Jewish people; this is its constitutional definition, and it is not a state for all its citizens, and non-Jews are second-class citizens. No matter how those politicians pretend to respect the Druze or others, they remain second-class citizens, even if they served in security services from Druze or others.

Control in this state, especially at this stage, is in the hands of religious and extreme right-wing nationalist forces, which see non-Jews as enemies, mercenaries, and slaves to serve the chosen people. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded.

The fascism that rules Israel today does not see the killing of thousands of children in Gaza through oppression, burning, and starvation as shameful or forbidden, so what humanity, democracy, or civilization do you expect from it?

The fascist Israel, leaning on Talmudic and Torah obscurantism, as Netanyahu does not hide, will not be eager to annex hundreds of thousands of non-Jews, whether Druze or others, to their sphere of influence; they "disregard what they have." After you remove the military uniform, you hold no value whatsoever.

Fascism is also intolerant of Arab doctors and nurses in hospitals, and it does not distinguish between Druze, Christian, or Muslim doctors. It is even intolerant of non-Jewish soccer players.

Democratic Israel has had only three Druze ministers since its founding: the first was Saleh Tarif, for just ten months in 2022.

Then came Ayoub Kara, who served as deputy minister, minister without a portfolio, and minister of communications, totaling no more than two and a half years.

Hamid Ammar served as a minister to the finance minister concerning the Druze and Circassians, for only one year, while the "Yisrael Beiteinu" party, to which Hamid Ammar belongs under Lieberman's leadership, had about 25 ministers since its founding.

As for the Haredim who do not serve in the army from Agudat Yisrael, Yahadut HaTorah, and Shas, they have held 25 ministerial positions since the 1980s, in addition to 40 deputy ministers.

Israel has established thousands of villages, cities, and settlements since its founding, with the share of Druze and other Arabs being zero, except for clusters of villages in the Negev constructed to seize the land of Negev clans.

Not a single Druze town has been established on state lands, although the state has seized 80% of their lands since its inception to establish military camps or new settlements, and according to human rights sources, these confiscations are detailed in every town.

In 1948, the Druze villages owned 250,000 dunams, of which only 50,000 remain today, including the confiscation of tens of thousands of dunams of land from Druze villages in the occupied Golan for the benefit of the Hermon National Park and the wind turbine project that confiscated thousands of dunams.

The confiscations are enormous in every village defined as Druze, in the Carmel as well as in the Galilee and Golan. For instance, Daliyat al-Karmel owned 60,000 dunams in 1948, but today it has only 9,000 dunams left.

Whoever truly wants the benefit of the Druze and Syrians must stop inciting sectarian tensions and demonization that involves others from various factions who oppose this or that party’s vision; some have even called for their killing on charges of treason.

Israel today is a pariah state on the global level, and its leadership is wanted for international justice. Any pretense of being the savior of minorities is merely a guise to cover up the acts of ethnic genocide it practices in Gaza. Netanyahu's statement, "Abu Yair" regarding this matter, is nothing but a ploy to throw sand in people's eyes and deepen the rift between Druze and their Arab surroundings.

The Druze do not need anyone’s confirmation of their Arab identity, and no one can deny or ignore it, regardless of who they are. As for their religious doctrine, their elders are more knowledgeable about it; they decide what and how to practice, and no one has the right to interfere in their religion and beliefs, and this applies to other religions and sects as well.

Religion is for God, and the homeland is for everyone; that has always been the case and should continue to be. If deviations from this principle occur, they must be corrected through collaboration among the forces of good that represent the majority within all components of the Syrian society, and silencing and ignoring the instigators from any side. There is no good in incitement; its outcomes have never brought goodness in the past, nor will they in the future. So take heed, O people of understanding.

This article expresses the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Sada News Agency.