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2mo ago

Syrian Druze Clerics Make Historic Visit to Israel After Decades

Nearly 100 Druze religious leaders from Syria crossed into Israeli-controlled territory for the first time in over 50 years to visit sacred sites and meet with their Israeli Druze counterparts.

People ride horses and hold Druze flags on the day Israeli Druze leader Sheik Mowafaq Tarif and around 100 Syrian Druze religious elders, in the first Druze delegation from Syria just after 1973 war, visit the Nabi Shuayb Shrine, a holy place for the Druze community, in northern Israel March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
People gather on the day Israeli Druze leader Sheik Mowafaq Tarif and around 100 Syrian Druze religious elders, in the first Druze delegation from Syria just after 1973 war, visit the Nabi Shuayb Shrine, a holy place for the Druze community, in northern Israel March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
People ride horses on the day Israeli Druze leader Sheik Mowafaq Tarif and around 100 Syrian Druze religious elders, in the first Druze delegation from Syria just after 1973 war, visit the Nabi Shuayb Shrine, a holy place for the Druze community, in northern Israel March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
People gather on the day Israeli Druze leader Sheik Mowafaq Tarif and around 100 Syrian Druze religious elders, in the first Druze delegation from Syria just after 1973 war, visit the Nabi Shuayb Shrine, a holy place for the Druze community, in northern Israel March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Overview

  • A delegation of Syrian Druze clerics crossed the fortified border into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights for the first time in more than 50 years, marking a significant religious and cultural event.
  • The group, consisting of nearly 100 clerics, traveled to visit the tomb of Nabi Shuayb, a revered Druze religious site in northern Israel, as part of a pilgrimage facilitated by Israeli authorities.
  • The visit comes as Israel has expressed support for the Druze community in Syria following the recent overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and the rise of a new Islamist-led government in the country.
  • Israeli officials have pledged humanitarian aid and protection for Syrian Druze, while some members of the Druze community in Syria have criticized the visit, citing political tensions and loyalty to a unified Syria.
  • This rare crossing underscores the complex ties between Druze communities divided by borders, with many navigating their historical Syrian identity while living under Israeli rule in the Golan Heights.