Record number of Golan Druze apply for Israeli citizenship

The number of Druze residents in the Golan Heights applying for Israeli citizenship has doubled in 2025, signaling a significant shift in the community’s relationship with the state. 

According to Yonatan Raveh on The Central Edition on i24NEWS (Hebrew), 1,050 applications were submitted in the first half of the year — a 100% increase compared to 572 in all of 2024.

Data from Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority shows a steady rise in applications over the past few years: 90 in 2020, 325 in 2021, 623 in 2022, 554 in 2023, and 572 in 2024. 

As of mid-2025, 6,006 Druze in the Golan, roughly 20% of the 29,000-strong community,  hold Israeli citizenship.

This surge reflects not only a growing willingness to formally align with Israel, but also an acceleration of a trend that predates the latest violence in Syria. 

Once hesitant due to family ties across the border and fears of Syrian retaliation, the Druze of the Golan,  permanent residents since Israel captured the area in 1967,  are increasingly choosing the security and opportunities offered by Israeli citizenship.

The civil war in Syria, combined with ongoing regional instability, has shifted the calculus. A key moment came in July 2024, when a Hezbollah attack on Majdal Shams killed 12 Druze children, shaking the community to its core. 

Now benefiting from Israeli infrastructure, healthcare, and education, many in the younger generation see citizenship as a path toward long-term stability. For a community that has long balanced between two identities, this wave of applications may mark a historic turning point.