Syria must protect Druze or be shunned by the world, says Israel

Telegraph

5 days ago

Syria should not be allowed back into the international community unless it is able to uphold protections for the Druze and other minority groups in the country, Israel has said.
As an 'immediate and comprehensive' ceasefire was announced between the two countries on Saturday, Gideon Sa'ar, the Israeli foreign minister, claimed Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Syrian president, was continuing to support Bedouin tribes against the Druze minority.
Mr Sa'ar wrote on X that in Syria 'it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority – Kurd, Druze, Alawite, or Christian'.
He added: 'This has been proven time and again over the past six months.
Doubts over government's ability to unify nation
'The international community has a duty to ensure the security and rights of the minorities in Syria, and to condition Syria's renewed acceptance into the family of nations on their protection.'
Mr al-Sharaa has vowed many times to protect all minorities in Syria since taking power in December, after leading the rebel coalition that toppled Bashar al-Assad, the country's long-time dictator.
But doubts have persisted over his ability to unify the diverse nation, and rebuild it after the ravages of more than a decade of civil war.
A recent week-long spate of deadly clashes in Sweida, in southern Syria, between two minority groups – the Druze, a religious sect, and the Bedouins, a nomadic tribe – now pose the biggest challenge to Mr al-Sharaa's ability to re-establish peace and to unify all Syrians.
Earlier this week, after Syrian government forces were sent to Sweida to restore order, Israel launched attacks on Syria prompted by concerns of a military buildup near its territory. Israel also said it was acting to defend the Druze, which has a community of around 143,000 in Israel, where it is considered a loyal minority sect.
The strikes included an attack on the defence ministry headquarters in Damascus.
The Syria-Israel truce was announced on Saturday by Tom Barrack, the US special envoy to Syria.
'Thankful to all sides for their break from chaos and confusion as we attempt to navigate all parties to a more durable and peaceful solution in Syria,' Mr Barrack posted on X.
The Syrian presidency confirmed there would be an 'immediate and comprehensive' ceasefire within its borders, saying a halt in fighting was needed 'to spare Syrian blood, preserve the unity of Syrian territory, the safety of its people, and in response to national and humanitarian responsibility'.
But whether Mr al-Sharaa will succeed at this crucial moment – one that could define the tone of his leadership – remains to be seen.
'I don't see him as our president. I respect him for freeing us from the regime, from Assad, ' said Tamara, a Syrian Druze who declined to give her full name out of fear of retribution.
'But [the government] is not representative of anyone; the people did not choose al-Sharaa; he chose himself for us.'
Syrians 'suffered a long time under repression, and they need a leader willing to guide the country to a more secure, bright future; not jihadi extremist conflict, and non-stop violence,' she added.
The Syrian government has said that a special unit is being deployed to Sweida, the heartland of the country's Druze, in hopes of restoring calm as swiftly as possible.
The death toll from violence there has risen to 940 since last weekend.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 182 of whom were 'summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel'.
They also included 312 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians who were 'summarily executed by Druze fighters'. Another 15 government troops were killed in Israeli strikes, the Observatory said.
The violence in Sweida erupted last Sunday, after a Druze vegetable seller was attacked and robbed. Violence and tensions have spread to other parts of the country, including the capital, Damascus.
A peaceful protest of about 20 people on Friday night calling for an end to bloodshed, held near the parliament building, was dispersed by people wielding guns and knives – as well as at least one large sword.
University students have also posted videos online calling for the expulsion of students from minority groups – a sign that restoring peace will be an uphill battle.
Back in Sweida, the situation remains dire and chaotic.
Tamara has only managed small snatches of conversation with her family in Sweida because of disrupted communications, including a five-minute call with her mother on Saturday morning during which she learned a friend and her entire family had died.
'It's a complete disaster zone'
'Everyone is panicking; people don't know what's going to happen even in the house next to them. It's a complete disaster zone,' she said.
Her family fled their home on the first day of fighting, and is now sheltering with others. Soon, Tamara fears, they will run out of food.
New checkpoints have cropped up across the country, in particular in Damascus and on the main road linking to Sweida.
Syrians report being asked by government security personnel manning those checkpoints where they are from, and to which group they belong – a question that underscores just how divided the nation remains.
Such checkpoints and road closures are slowing the movement of people, as well as humanitarian aid deliveries at a time when hospitals are overwhelmed with the injured and water is in short supply.
'It is very difficult for us to operate there…at the moment our capacity to deliver aid is very limited,' said William Spindler, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. 'We are calling on all parties to allow humanitarian access.'
The latest violence comes after bloody battles in March, during which an estimated 1,500 Alawites were killed. Alawites are another minority sect, of which former leader Assad was a member.