All articles tagged with #druze community
Thousands in Sweida, Syria, protested against the Syrian regime, with some waving Israeli flags as a sign of gratitude for Israeli support and to demand the withdrawal of regime forces, an open humanitarian crossing, and an independent investigation into recent events.
Hundreds of Syrians gathered in the southern city of Sweida, calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down and demanding political change amid a deepening economic crisis. The protests, initially sparked by poor living conditions, have grown in intensity, with demonstrators expressing discontent over the removal of fuel subsidies and the country's economic decline. Despite divisions within the Druze leadership over the demonstrations, the turnout was significant. Similar protests were also reported in the province of Daraa, where the 2011 uprising began, with residents criticizing Iran's role as a key ally of Assad. In other government-held areas, residents have resorted to more discreet forms of protest.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a temporary pause to construction on a wind turbine project in the Golan Heights, following large protests by members of the Druze community. The Druze community has been protesting against the project, which they say will harm their way of life and the environment. Netanyahu spoke with Sheikh Muafak Tarif, the leader of the Israeli Druze community, and told him that construction will halt until after the Eid al-Adha holiday on Wednesday. The Druze community has also called for the annulment of laws that discriminate against them.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has announced that the government will pause work on wind turbines in the Golan Heights until after the Feast of the Sacrifice, following warnings from Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif of unprecedented consequences if construction went ahead. The decision was made based on recommendations from the Shin Bet and Israeli police, who were preparing for violent confrontations with Druze protesters. The Druze community has been protesting against wind turbine construction in the Golan Heights, calling for the expansion of Druze villages and the repeal of discriminatory laws.
The head of the Druze community in Israel, Sheikh Muafak Tarif, has warned the government to stop the work to construct wind turbines in the Golan Heights, or face “a reaction the country has hitherto not seen.” The Druze community sees the project as a threat to their agrarian way of life, an encroachment on ancestral lands, and a solidification of what they view as Israel’s occupation of the territory. Tarif also urged Israel’s leaders to annul laws that discriminate against the Druze, which he said included the controversial 2018 nation-state law and the so-called Kaminitz Law of 2017.
Around 2,000 members of the Druze community protested against the resumption of wind turbine construction in the Golan Heights, with spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif presenting a list of demands to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The demands include a complete halt to the building of turbines and approval of an expansion of Druze villages. Tarif warned that if the demands are not met, there will be a "clear and decisive response in a way that the state has not seen since its establishment."