Where do the Druze stand in Israel?

The Israeli Government loves the fighting spirit of the Druze. It is “the well-known Druze readiness to sacrifice their lives defending the state” (The Israelis, 303), that has the Druze as the only “major non-Jewish group in the state whose sons are required to serve in the IDF." The Druze take great pride in their military service. They believe that with military service, comes equal rights. In some cases, the Druze are treated like “normal” Israeli citizens, and sometimes they are treated as inferior. On page 309 of The Israelis, A Druze teacher says, “When I get my military call-up letter, I'm a Druze, but when we ask for more sewers, we're treated like Arabs.”




Does Israel only respect their fighting? “Some Druze complain that when they're out of uniform, they don't feel very Israeli” (The Israelis, 309), even though, “over 99 percent of [Druze] feel like Israelis in every sense of the word” (The Israelis, 309). The Druze population is now demanding more funding from the Government, and meanwhile, “those haredim, the Government showers them with money. Do their boys shed their blood?” (The Israelis, 309).




The “Blood Pact” between Israeli Jews and the Druze came all the way back in the 1940's when Muslims were attacking Jews in Mandatory Palestine. The Druze chose the side of the Jews, and have been living “side-by-side” with them ever since. The Druze authority “seeks to enhance their own position in the eyes of Israeli authority” with 5 steps.

On the other end of the spectrum, Druze have risen to very prominent positions within Israel. There are Druze “scientists and professors, and serve in the Knesset and the cabinet. In 2007, Majalli Whbee, deputy foreign minister, briefly became Israel's acting president when Moshe Katsav stepped down, becoming the first non-Jewish Israeli head of state” (The Israelis, 308).

The Druze educational system is flourishing too. "Since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, the Druze educational system has flourished. In 1948, only 981 Druze were enrolled in school - 881 boys and 100 girls. Some 30 years later, there were 18,729 Druze students, an increase by a factor of 19. Today there are over 30,000 Druze students in the school system - some 2.3% of all pupils in Israel, although the representation of Druze in the general population is only 1.6%"(jewishvirtuallibrary.org)

A lot of different people live in Israel. Some groups are exempt from army service and some are not. Some people are loyal to Israel and some are not. Some people need Government assistance and others do not. The Druze have proven to be amongst the most patriotic people in Israel, but yet they don't get the same treatment. Where do the Druze stand in Israel?