Vivian Bercovici: Yet another horror shakes the Mideast
Horrified, hundreds of Druze from Majdal Shams — a city of 15,000 in the Golan Heights — crossed into Syria, unauthorized, of course. They were intent on defending their brethern under attack. The IDF was caught by surprise and urged these men to return to their homes.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to frustration from the White House by explaining that Israel was protecting its Druze citizens. Trump, reportedly, was unconvinced.
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The Druze in Majdal have long been less than friendly towards Israel. Unlike the Druze living elsewhere in Israel, most inhabitants of Majdal refused to accept Israeli citizenship and ID cards, fearing that this would be seen as loyalty to the enemy by the Syrian government — and the backlash would be felt by their families there. Majdal Druze do not serve in the IDF, again, unlike most Israeli Druze.
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But it has been a rough year for the Druze of Majdal Shams.
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One year ago, on Saturday, July 27, 2024, the main soccer pitch in Majdal Shams was packed with families and young soccer players attending regular matches. Hezbollah shot a rocket, which slammed directly into the gathering. Twelve children and youth, aged 10 to 16, were murdered in that unprovoked attack. Forty-two were injured. The carnage devastated the town.
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Since the fall of the Assad government, long-standing tensions between the Bedouin and Druze in this part of Syria have erupted into violence periodically. The attack on Sweida, however, was of a different order of magnitude.
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Multiple sources report a very sharp reaction from Trump, who was 'taken by surprise' when informed about the Israeli strikes in Syria. And, apparently, none too pleased.
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Also last week, Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, commented to media: 'We told the Israelis to stand down and take a breath.'
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Almost immediately after the American anger was expressed, Israeli ground incursions were drawn down and peace talks between Israel and Syria resumed. Or so we were told.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump was 'caught off guard' by the Israeli military attacks in Syria and spoke with Netanyahu to 'rectify' the situation. Senior Trump administration officials have referred to Netanyahu in very harsh, derogatory terms as a leader who is incorrigible and focused solely on his political survival.
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In recent days all has gone quiet. Nothing. No information. No news.
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No updates on the condition or whereabouts of the many female hostages taken by the Bedouin attackers.
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However, Thursday was a very busy day in the region. U.S. Envoy Barrack met in Paris with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad al-Shaibani. It is the first time in 25 years that senior Syrian and Israeli officials have met face to face. And according to Barrack, significant progress was made with respect to discussing terms of engagement in Syria and protection of the Druze.
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Also on Thursday, Netanyahu met with the leading Druze Israeli cleric, Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif. Israel is not budging from its position as prime protector of the Druze in the region. And he is clearly working to address America's alarm regarding the recent hostilities in Syria.
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President Trump likes al-Julani/al-Sharaa. And he is keen to have him be a part of an economic alliance in the Middle East that will transform the region. Trump likes deals.
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What he overlooks is al-Julani's long and deep terrorist past. The man led a loosely aligned group of fundamentalist militias to overthrow Assad. Whether he can coalesce them into a properly functioning government for all Syrians remains to be seen.
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