The Crime of the Jews Which Hurts All the Druze

Naftali Bennett, our Minister of Education, is 100 % correct when he insists that changes must be immediately made in our new infarious Nation-State law that affects our Druze citizens.

Not only does he hold the Education Ministry post but is also Minister of Diaspora Affairs. In both posts he now has his hands full trying to make explanations and apologies both to diaspora Jews and to Israeli Druze.

What pains me and angers me most of all is the hurt that the new law has caused to our Druze citizens. As Bennett has said, “the Druze are our blood brothers”.

They have stood fast and loyal dedicated to Zionism and to the Jewish state of Israel. Thousands of them serve in our military forces and sadly too many of them have shed their blood in defense of the Jewish state. Blessed be their memories.

No minority group is more beloved to us than the Druze citizens, most of whom live in the Galilee region. They are a warm and hospitable people who charm us by their smiles and by their open hands.

Unlike the Arab population which dislikes and distrusts us and remains separate from us, the Druze are true sons and daughters, brothers and sisters of our country, a Hebrew-speaking population.

Their religion is a mystery revealed only by their religious leaders to Druze who come of age. Their prophet is Yitro, father-in-law of Moses and father of Zipporah. It was he who guided Moses and offered suggestions on how to govern the mixed multitude which had come from Egypt.

Jews and Druze have always lived as a family, sharing and caring, compassionate, together in joys and sorrows.

Because of the new discriminatory law they fear that they will be considered second-class citizens.

God forbid, a thousand times !!! The Druze are, were and always will be number one of people we respect and honor. Not only do they serve in our military forces but also in our civic and political lives.

There is a Druze Justice on the bench of our Supreme Court. There are Druze judges in many district courts. And there are Druze in our diplomatic corps serving as consular officials and ambassadors.

In all that they do, they do with full heart and with dignity. And for all those reasons they must be accorded assurances that no laws will discriminate against them and that they will continue to be our pride and joy minority, respected and honored by a grateful nation.

Bennett is demanding a revision of the Nation-State law which affects Arabs and Druze alike but his emphasis is first and foremost on behalf of our Druze brethren. Since before and following our 1948 independence, most of the Arab population fought against us, attacked us, terrorized us, and supported our enemies.

Not so the Druze. No Druze hand was ever raised against a Jew. Because of our biblical connection the Druze have always regarded the Jews as blood brothers. And we must honor our mutual relationship.

It is essential, therefore, that wiser heads and hearts in the Knesset should re-examine the offensive clauses and either eliminate them or re-write them in a Jewish manner of compassion and devotion to those who are compassionate and devoted to us .

Our courts must demand a change in the new law. Our Druze population deserves every effort we make to preserve their honor and their dignity and their loyalty to Jews and to the Zionist state.

Failing to do so, failing to correct a mistake, is a failure of the state which was re-born 70 years ago.

We Jews, in particular, most never forget our lives in most European and Muslim lands where we were considered and mis-treated as third-class citizens and were forced to pay a tax for our protection.

It is forbidden for us to mis-treat loyal and loving citizens.

Since we have become accustomed to protest marches for or against a particular cause, the Jews of Israel must arise and march in their tens of thousands to the Knesset and to the Prime Minister’s residence to protest the mal-treatment of the Druze and to demonstrate our respect for them.

Yehudim v’Druzim… achim anachnu.  Jews and Druze… we are brothers.