Israeli Druze or Druze Israelis (; ) are an ethnoreligious minority among the Arab citizens of Israel. They preserve the Arabic language and culture as central components of their identity, and Arabic remains their primary language. Survey data indicates that roughly 70% of Druze identify as ethnically Arab, and that Israeli Druze prioritize their identity first as Druze, second as Arab, and third as Israeli. Few Druze identify as Palestinian. Israel has the world's third-largest Druze population, after Syria and Lebanon. At the end of 2022, there were 150,000 Druze people living within Israel, representing a ten-fold increase since 1948. Druze comprise 1.6% of the total population of Israel. The majority of Israeli Druze are concentrated in northern Israel, especially in Galilee and Carmel. They are also found in Golan Heights, which is Syrian territory occupied by Israel.
In 1957, at the request of Druze leaders, the Israeli government designated Druze Israelis as a distinct religious community. Alongside the Jewish majority and the Circassian minority, Druze have been required by law since 1956 to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. However, as is the case for the Circassian community, only men are conscripted. Druze men have one of the highest enlistment rates in the country, at over 80%. Druze women, in contrast with Jewish women, are exempted from mandatory military service. Members of the Druze community have held positions in the Israeli Knesset and attained other top positions in politics, government and public service.
The Druze ethnic religion, called Druzism, originated in the Fatimid Caliphate in 11th century Egypt. It is a monotheistic faith that espouses the divinity of the Fatimid Caliph, a belief that is considered heretical in Islam. Druzism developed from Isma'ilism, a branch of Shia Islam, but the Druze do not consider themselves Muslims.
Religious development
Druzism branched off from Islam in the 10th and 11th centuries and is now considered its own separate religion. Originating in Egypt, the religion incorporates elements of Hindu and Greek philosophy into the tenets of Islam. The Druze do not permit conversions because they believe that only the first generation after the establishment of the Druze religion had an opportunity to join, and every Druze individual alive today is reincarnated from that generation. Much like the Abrahamic faiths, the Druze religion is monotheistic, while recognizing many prophets, including Jesus, John the Baptist, Muhammad, Khidr, and Moses. The most respected prophet in Druzism is Jethro, Moses' father-in-law."Druze Religion". International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. http://www.ifcj.org/learn/inside-israel/people-society/religions-of-israel/druze-religion.html .
The Epistles of Wisdom is the foundational text of the Druze faith. The Druze faith incorporates elements of Islam's Ismailism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Pythagoreanism, Christianity, Hinduism and other philosophies and beliefs, creating a distinct and secretive theology known to interpret esoterically religious scriptures, and to highlight the role of the mind and truthfulness.
Within the Druze community, there are two different sub-groups. There is the al-Juhhal, or the Ignorant, and al-Uqqal, the Knowledgeable. The al-Juhhal group does not have permission to view the holy texts, and they do not attend religious meetings. About 80% of the Druze people fall into the category of the Ignorant. The al-Uqqal must follow ascetic rulings including following a dress code. The most powerful 5% of the Knowledgeable group are where the spiritual leaders of the religion come from. As for important rules that the Druze must follow, they are not allowed to drink alcohol, eat pork, or smoke tobacco, similar to the dietary laws in Islam. Polygamy is prohibited, and men and women are viewed as equals. Many of the Druze living in Israel fully participate in Israeli society, and many of them serve in the Israeli Defense Forces.
The Druze revere the father-in-law of Moses, Jethro or Reuel, a Kenite shepherd and priest of Midian.Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. In the Exodus, Moses' father-in-law is initially referred to as "Reuel" (Exodus 2:18) but then as "Jethro" (Exodus 3:1). According to the biblical narrative, Jethro joined and assisted the Israelites in the desert during the Exodus, accepted monotheism, but ultimately rejoined his own people. The tomb of Jethro near Tiberias is the most important religious site for the Druze community and they gather there every April.
Amin Tarif was the qadi, or spiritual leader, of the Druze in Mandatory Palestine from 1928 and then Israel until his death in 1993. He was highly esteemed and regarded by many within the community as the preeminent spiritual authority in the Druze world.
In January 2004, the current spiritual leader, Sheikh Muwaffak Tarīf, called on all non-Jews in Israel to observe the Seven Noahide Laws, as laid down in the Bible and expounded upon in Jewish tradition. The mayor of the Galilean city of Shefa-'Amr also signed the document. The declaration includes the commitment to make a "... better humane world based on the Seven Noahide Commandments and the values they represent commanded by the Creator to all mankind through Moses on Mount Sinai".
History in the Levant
The Druze (, Derzī or Durzī, : , Durūz; , Druzim; they call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidīn, ) are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. The religion incorporates elements of Isma'ilism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, and other philosophies. The Druze call themselves Ahl al-Tawhid – 'People of Unitarianism or Monotheism' – or al-Muwaḥḥidūn, 'Unitarians, Monotheists'. Amin Tarif was the preeminent religious leader of the community until his death in 1993.He was succeced by his son Muwaffaq Tarif.
Historically the relationship between the Druze and Muslims has been characterized by intense persecution. The Druze faith is often classified as a branch of Isma'ili. Although the faith originally developed out of Ismaili Islam, most Druze do not identify as Muslims, and they do not accept the five pillars of Islam. The Druze have frequently experienced persecution by different Muslim regimes such as the Shia Fatimid Caliphate, Sunni Ottoman Empire, and Egypt Eyalet.Taraze Fawaz, Leila. An occasion for war: civil conflict in Lebanon and Damascus in 1860. p.63.Goren, Haim. Dead Sea Level: Science, Exploration and Imperial Interests in the Near East. pp.95-96. The persecution of the Druze included massacres, demolishing Druze prayer houses and holy places and forced conversion to Islam. Those were no ordinary killings: they were meant to eradicate the entire community according to the Druze narrative.
Historically, there have been conflicts in the relationship between the Druze and Jews. Anti-Jewish (antisemitic) bias is manifest in the Druze literature such as the Epistles of Wisdom; for example, in an epistle ascribed to one of the founders of Druzism, Baha al-Din al-Muqtana, probably written sometime between AD 1027 and AD 1042, accused Jews of killing the sacred prophets. On the other hand, Benjamin of Tudela, a Jewish traveler from the 12th century, pointed out that the Druze maintained good commercial relations with the Jews nearby, and, according to him, this was because the Druze liked the Jewish people. Yet, the Jews and Druze lived isolated from each other, except in a few mixed towns such as Deir al-Qamar and Peki'in.
Conflict between Druze and Jews occurred during 17th century Druze power struggle in Mount Lebanon, and Druze destruction of Jewish settlements of Galilee such as the 1660 destruction of Safed and the 1660 destruction of Tiberias.Joel Rappel. History of Eretz Israel from Prehistory up to 1882 (1980), Vol.2, p.531. "In 1662 Sabbathai Sevi arrived to Jerusalem. It was the time when the Jewish settlements of Galilee were destroyed by the Druze: Tiberias was completely desolate and only a few of former Safed residents had returned..."Barnay, Y. The Jews in Palestine in the eighteenth century: under the patronage of the Istanbul Committee of Officials for Palestine (University of Alabama Press 1992) p. 149 The 1834 looting of Safed was a month-long attack on the Jewish community of Safed in the Sidon Eyalet of the Ottoman Empire by Arabs and Druze during the Peasants' revolt in Palestine. It began on Sunday, June 15 (7 Sivan), the day after the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, and lasted for 33 days.Bloch, Abraham P. One a day: an anthology of Jewish historical anniversaries, 1987. p. 168. Rabbi Isaac b. Solomon Farhi records that the pillage continued for 24 days. It has been described as a spontaneous attack on a defenseless population during the armed uprising against the rule of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt, the Ottoman governor. The event took place during a power vacuum while Ibrahim Pasha was fighting to quell the wider revolt in Jerusalem.
During the Druze revolt against the rule of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt, the Jewish community in Safad was attacked by Druze rebels in early July 1838. The violence against the Jews included plundering their homes and desecrating their synagogues.
Druze in Israel live in Mount Carmel, south of Haifa, and in Galilee. The Druze settlement on Mount Carmel is relatively recent, although the precise timeline remains uncertain. Scholars acknowledge one tradition suggesting they settled at Isfiya, following the downfall of the Lebanon-centered House Ma'an. Daliyat al-Karmel's populace comprised refugees from Aleppo who arrived during the early 19th century.
The 1922 census of Palestine lists 7,028 Druze in Mandatory Palestine (11 in Southern District, eight in Jerusalem-Jaffa, three in Samaria, and 7,006 in Northern District). The 1931 census shows an increase with 9,148 Druze (four in Southern District, 28 in Jerusalem District, and 9,116 in Northern District).
Attitude towards conflict between Jews and Palestinian Arabs
Before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the Druze lived in the Galilee and Mount Carmel, either in exclusively Druze villages or in villages mixed with Christians, where they had coexisted for centuries. Historically, the relationship between the Druze and their Christian neighbors was better compared to their relationship with their Muslim neighbors, especially Bedouins, in neighboring villages. According to historian Ilan Pappé, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in villages partly inhabited by Druze, Christians were generally exempt from expulsion. Following the establishment of the State of Israel, Muslim refugees from neighboring villages that had been displaced during the war settled in mixed Druze-Christian villages such as Abu Snan, Rameh, and Maghar.