The residents of a Druze group in southern Syria have expressed a want to develop into a part of Israel to forestall assaults by “radical Islamists.”
A video circulating on social media exhibits a gathering of the non secular minority within the Syrian village of Hader, within the buffer zone between Israel and Syria which is now absolutely managed by the Israeli Defence Force.
“If we’ve got to decide on, we are going to select the lesser evil. And even when it’s thought of evil to ask to be annexed to the [Israeli] Golan, it’s a a lot lesser evil than the evil coming our means,” a person advised a crowd in Arabic, in response to a translation by Times of Israel.
The unnamed man stated the “evil” coming for the Druze “may take our girls, may take our daughters … may take our homes”.
A funeral for a Druze navy commander killed in October – Shir Torem/Reuters
“Bashar al-Assad left. What do we’ve got left? Nothing. We requested to be annexed to the Golan to protect our dignity,” he continued.
Syria has seen mass celebrations because the fall of Assad final week however some minorities have expressed concern about their future below Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an offshoot of Al Qaeda which has moderated its stance on quite a lot of points.
Some 700,000 Druze dwell in Syria, with about 20,000 within the Israel-annexed Golan Heights adjoining to Hader, the place the decision to hitch Israel was made. Another roughly 150,000 Druze dwell in Israel correct.
One consultant of the Druze in Syria advised The Telegraph most of his friends don’t want to develop into a part of Israel.
Israeli troops on Syrian territory on Saturday, after taking on the buffer zone – Atef Safadi/EPA
“It’s very shocking,” a Druze resident of Majdal Shams within the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights stated, referring to the calls to hitch the Jewish state.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria within the 1967 struggle and annexed the territory in 1981.
Beyond defending themselves from assaults on the areas the place they dwell, Syria’s Druze largely stayed on the sidelines of the civil struggle.
Many have managed to keep away from obligatory conscription since 2011.
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