'We Druze are an inseparable part of Israel' Senior Syrian Druze Sheikh says
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, considered the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, called for the State of Israel to protect the Druze community.
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri extolled the connection between the Druze community and the State of Israel in a video published on Tuesday.
"This is who we are. Even in terms of our beliefs, we share common ground with this state, the State of Israel. We are a part of it. We always focus on a historical fact: we, as Druze, are an inseparable part of the State of Israel."
Hijri is considered the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria. He has been at the center of the political tug of war between the new Syrian regime in Damascus and the Druze militias in the Sweida governate.
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Hijri praised Israel for creating a state that protects the Jewish people and hoped that a similar state would be created for the Druze.
"The time has come for something new in the coming days. We are genuinely waiting," he told cameras. "When Bashan becomes stable and truly obtains its full sovereign rights and its right to self-determination."
Hijri's statements come just days after a meeting between Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani at a US-mediated meeting in Amman aimed at deconflicting Israel and Syria.
Tensions have been high between Damascus and Sweida since July last year, when fighting broke out between Druze and Bedouin militias in Sweida. The fighting led a massacre of Druze and Bedouin civilians and the informal separation of the province from Syrian government control. Since then, Syrian Druze have sought to garner more support from Israel and Western powers to prevent further atrocities.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has sought to integrate the community into his new regime. Sharaa appointed Laith al-Balous to the Syrian parliament as one of Sweida's representatives due to the inability to hold elections in the province.
Balous is a former militia commander and is considered to be a more pro-Damascus member of the Druze community. Sharaa also appointed a member of the Bedouin community to the parliament as a representative of the province.