Syria Druze Divisions & Peace Talks
- Syria’s Druze community is at a crossroads, facing critical decisions about their future: partner with the interim government in Damascus, pressure it for greater autonomy, or even pursue...
- Mistrust of Damascus has been exacerbated by recent attacks on Druze citizens by Islamist militias with loose ties to the government.
- Violent clashes in April resulted in the deaths of 27 Druze men in Suwayda and Jaramana, prompting retaliatory Israeli airstrikes targeting alleged "extremists."
Syria’s Druze community confronts a critical juncture, as internal divisions fueled by attacks and government mistrust threaten regional stability.these rifts revolve around the Druze’s relationship with the Damascus government, with factions considering self-rule and even potential Israeli assistance. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri emerges as a key opposition leader, advocating for international intervention to protect the Druze population. Our report examines the competing interests at play,including clan-based allegiances and the government’s response. Learn how these internal struggles are impacting peace talks and the future of the Druze. News Directory 3 provides thorough insights; discover what’s next for this embattled community.
Syria Druze Divisions Threaten Fragile Stability
Syria’s Druze community is at a crossroads, facing critical decisions about their future: partner with the interim government in Damascus, pressure it for greater autonomy, or even pursue secession. These internal divisions among the Druze threaten the fragile stability of the region.
Mistrust of Damascus has been exacerbated by recent attacks on Druze citizens by Islamist militias with loose ties to the government. These attacks were sparked by a video allegedly showing a Druze man insulting the prophet muhammad.
Violent clashes in April resulted in the deaths of 27 Druze men in Suwayda and Jaramana, prompting retaliatory Israeli airstrikes targeting alleged “extremists.”
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a revered religious figure based in Suwayda, has emerged as a leading voice of opposition to the Syrian government. He commands significant popular support and leads a militia, advocating for international intervention to safeguard Syria’s Druze population and welcoming potential assistance from Israel.
“If the government won’t include us or protect us, then we demand self-rule and international protection,” said Mr. Mirea, a spokesperson for Mr. Hijri.
Mr. Mirea added, “We don’t want to join Israel; we want to reconcile with the government in a federal arrangement. Only if that doesn’t work out will we turn to israel.”
Druze Divisions
Ideological and clan-based differences have created factions within the Druze community, some of whom support collaboration with Damascus and are vying for influence against Mr. Hijri.
“Who are you to ask for self-rule?” Salam Nabwani, a veteran Druze women’s activist, rhetorically asked of Mr. Hijri.“You are not a decision-maker, and you were not elected by us.”
Ms. Nabwani, like many Druze, finds herself caught in a power struggle between President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus and Mr.hijri in Suwayda.
“We are trying to distance ourselves from the language of religion and guns,” she said. “Civil society is fighting on two fronts at once for a democratic, civil state.”
While cooperation with the government has become unpopular among many Syrian Druze, Ms. Nabwani offers a more nuanced viewpoint. “I disagree with the government but I want the state to succeed,” she said. “we all should.”
President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signaled a willingness to engage. “Syria’s Druze are not pawns,” he stated in an interview with the Jewish Journal. “They are citizens, deeply rooted, historically loyal and deserving of every protection under the law. Their safety is non-negotiable.”
Some Druze fear that external actors, including supporters of former President Assad, Russia, and potentially Israel, are fueling divisions within their community.
“What we as Druze are doing now is not in our interests nor in the interests of Syria; they are the interests of outside powers,” said Hassan, who works for an international organization and requested anonymity. “We must put our religious affiliations aside and move the country forward.”
Omar, a university student who recently returned to Suwayda after facing threats for his Druze faith, said that the promised safety has not materialized. He argues that the demands for international protection would not exist if the government had ensured their safety.
“The ideal is to receive all rights and freedoms and take part in the government,” said Omar, who withheld his last name. “None of these militias represent me.”
Way Forward?
To de-escalate tensions, damascus and local Druze leaders in Suwayda reached a security agreement in early May. The agreement aims to place the town’s security and judicial police under local control, reactivate Syrian government institutions in the province, and confiscate unlicensed weapons.
However, as of late May, the agreement had not yet been implemented.
This impasse has hindered the Syrian government’s ability to regain control in Suwayda and disrupt the Assad regime’s illicit drug trade, with reports indicating that drugs are now flowing from Suwayda into jordan.
Mr.Hijri’s call for international involvement faces significant obstacles.
Neighboring Jordan is focused on strengthening the Damascus government and is wary of drug smuggling from Suwayda.
The Israeli government has made symbolic gestures, such as allowing druze clerics to visit the Shrine of Shuaib in the Lower Galilee. Einav Halabi, an Israeli Druze journalist, said that senior Israeli security officials “have already expressed a willingness to assist the Druze in Syria” if the Sharaa government supports militia threats against the community.
“Israel cannot and will not remain passive in the face of such developments,” she added.
Though, Suwayda and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are separated by 50 miles of Syrian territory inhabited by 2 million Sunnis.
Suwayda residents are concerned that internal Druze differences are complicating the community’s chances of resolving their relationship with broader Syrian society.
“We Syrians need to know each othre and end this fear of the other,” said Hassan. “Or else this blind loyalty to small groups will remain. And we will all suffer.”