Knowing the Druze, Arabian Tribe Chose to Become Israel Citizens
- Daily News Egypt
Israel – The Arabic-speaking Druze tribe chose to become citizens of Israel. However, even though they have fought alongside the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), they still live in poverty and are marginalized.
As an ethnic minority in Israel, Druze say their community is marginalized and deprived of public investment. Their families were even fined large sums for building houses due to selective enforcement of planning regulations.
One of the residents who shouted loudly was Salah Abu Rukun. He was a leader of the Druze protests, who told how residents were rarely given permission to build houses.
About two-thirds of Druze homes in Israel were built without proper permits in recent decades. So they constantly receive threats of orders in the form of demolition or large fines.
Suku Druze yang Bergabung dengan Tentara Israel
- I24 News
"Druze only have very limited private land so they cannot guarantee the survival of the Druze community with its character and villages," he said, as quoted AFP site.
Nisreen Abu Asale, a lawyer from Beit Jann, also said so. He said residents had no choice but to stay at home without permission.
"We don't want to abandon our community, culture or religion," he said, adding that urban planning had not progressed for decades.
"We lived by necessity 20 or 30 years ago," he added.
In practice, people's houses are rarely demolished. However, financial sanctions are strictly implemented by the Israeli government.
For decades, residents have continued to "lack investment". It's not just house permits, the electricity network is bad, let alone the waste disposal system and roads.
Racism and Marginalization
In addition, activists also mention how racism has also hit non-Jewish minorities in Israel under right-wing governments in recent years. It should be noted that the current Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, also comes from the right wing.
Their misfortune was also compounded by the appearance of the "Nation State" law. in 2018. This law prioritizes Jews and is considered demeaning to Druze, including other Arab nationals.
It states how Jews have the right to self-determination in the State of Israel. Arabic was also demoted from an official language to a language with "special status".
The Druze vehemently oppose the Nation-State Law. The mayor of one of the Beit Jann areas, Radi Najam, called it racist, unequal and inconsiderate towards anyone who is not Jewish.
In fact, this issue has become the concern of the Jews. Interior Minister Moshe Arbel last week appointed a Druze lawyer to advise on the issue with the Knesset committee giving the green light to 1,000 new housing units in the Druze village of Daliat al-Carmel.
Netanyahu said that he had also promised the community that they were just as valuable. "They fought, they lost the battle...give them everything they deserve,”
Around 150,000 Druze people, on average, adhere to Shia Islam, live in Israel. The Druze community is said to be concentrated in 16 villages in northern Israel.
Most of them identify themselves as Israeli citizens. Where the men of the tribe undergo military service, many of whom serve in combat units.
