In the shadow of the raging Syrian civil war, the 20,000 Druze who live in the Golan Heights are finally admitting publicly that they prefer life under Israeli sovereignty.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, and annexed the strategic plateau in 1981. All during that time, the Golan Druze leaned more anti-Israel for fear they would one day find themselves again under Syrian sovereignty.
At numerous points, the West tried to broker peace talks that would see Israel surrender the Golan to Syria in return for peace. The precedent was set with Egypt and the Sinai, and the Druze feared their fate would be similar. Had they dared to openly align with Israel during those years, they knew the Assad regime would respond harshly if it ever regained the Golan.
Golan Druze prefer Israel to Syria - Israel Today | Israel News
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, and annexed the strategic plateau in 1981. All during that time, the Golan Druze leaned more anti-Israel for fear they would one day find themselves again under Syrian sovereignty.
At numerous points, the West tried to broker peace talks that would see Israel surrender the Golan to Syria in return for peace. The precedent was set with Egypt and the Sinai, and the Druze feared their fate would be similar. Had they dared to openly align with Israel during those years, they knew the Assad regime would respond harshly if it ever regained the Golan.
Golan Druze prefer Israel to Syria - Israel Today | Israel News