Druze community caught between Israeli influence and internal divisions: Cooperation with Israel sparks backlash

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar 

Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif is neither a leader in the Israeli government nor a prominent figure in the Israeli state. 

He is the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, and the torch he proudly lit is the torch of Israel's Independence Day — a state whose citizenship he holds, established in 1948 on land stained with the blood of Palestinians who were displaced from their homes.

Tarif's positions differ from those of a large portion of Israeli Druze, who refuse military service, and the majority of Golan Heights Druze, who reject Israeli citizenship. 

He does not hide his close relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was among the first to offer condolences after the recent events in Majdal Shams. While Tarif welcomed Netanyahu, the Golan Druze rejected him.

"This is what they sought on October 7. Without fighting, there is no life. Without the willingness to sacrifice, you cannot fight. Without fighting, you cannot achieve victory. But we will win, and we will not compromise on victory. I don't care what they say — we will achieve this victory through our heroism and shared sacrifices. I came here to bow my head before those who fell in the north and those who fell in the south," Netanyahu said during his visit.

The victories Netanyahu aims to extend into Syria require the cooperation of his ally, Sheikh Tarif. 

Israeli journalist Menachem Horowitz revealed this on Channel 12, who reported that Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz issued instructions to prepare to defend Jaramana — a move stemming from demands by Druze leaders, led by Tarif and senior Druze officers in the Israeli army, despite opposition from Syrian Druze.

Coordination between the two sides began on the first day of the Assad regime's collapse in Druze towns in southern Syria, marked by the entry of Israeli forces into Syria. 

It was further solidified last week when Netanyahu, in coordination with Tarif, appointed Druze officer Ghassan Alian as Israel's representative to meet with leaders of Druze towns in southern Syria and coordinate aid delivery. 

Meanwhile, Tel Aviv funneled financial assistance to Tarif to infiltrate Syrian Druze by providing cash packages, food, and work permits.

"We will take every step to help our Druze brothers in Syria. This helps them economically and helps us here as a state because we lack workers. This is an opportunity to improve the situation there, and they can also work here," Tarif said.

However, what Israel is planning in southern Syria — with the full cooperation of Tarif and Druze officers in the Israeli army — serves only Israeli interests. 

It risks creating divisions among the Druze community from southern Syria, through Lebanon, to Israeli Druze and the Golan Heights Druze, who warn of an Israeli conspiracy threatening the Druze future.

As political analyst Zvi Bar'el noted, Israel's blatant, arrogant, and threatening intervention — positioning itself as the protector of the Druze community in Syria — is the last thing the community needs.