Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 9 augusT 2018
Druze army vets campaign against Israel's Jewish state law

By ILAN BEN ZION leased from the military
Associated Press because of your decision,"
AHIHUD, Israel (AP) — An- Jmall said. He did not re-
war Saeb spent two de- spond to requests to be in-
cades in the Israeli military, terviewed.
rising to the rank of colonel Anat Baeeny Kara, a Druze
and suffering wounds in woman volunteering in the
battle while serving as a bri- protest campaign, said her
gade commander during 17-year-old son is set to
the 2006 war in Lebanon. enlist in the Israeli military
Now, the 51-year-old law- next year, and feared the
yer, a member of Israel's nation-state law would turn
Arabic-speaking Druze mi- Israel into a "racist state."
nority, finds himself on the "I always wanted my son
front lines of a different to have a military career. I
and unlikely battle — lead- want him to safeguard the
ing a campaign against a country's security." She said
contentious new law that she's still telling her son he
critics say sidelines minority must serve, "but there's a
groups. feeling of being a merce-
Tens of thousands of Druze nary, of not being an equal
Israelis, along with Jewish citizen."
supporters, thronged a Tel Netanyahu met last week
Aviv square on Saturday with Druze leaders in a bid
night in a rare demonstra- to assuage concerns. Ac-
tion against government cording to Israeli media
policy by the typically reports, Netanyahu cut the
muted community. Saeb meeting short after Assad,
and Amal Assad, a retired Saeb's fellow protest lead-
brigadier general, led the er, warned the law would
protest. "lead to apartheid."
For Saeb, the campaign Despite the rally, Netan-
is especially painful. The yahu doubled down on his
Druze minority is fiercely defense of the law on Sun-
loyal to the state and well- day, saying it doesn't harm
integrated in society, yet its any citizens and was need-
members feel betrayed by In this Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018 file photo, Israelis from the Druze community participate in a rally ed to "ensure the future of
the new "Nation-State" law. against a contentious new law, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Israel as the state of the
"We don't think it's good for Associated Press Jewish people for genera-
the Jewish people. It's not tions to come."
good for the state of Isra- society. But critics say it Less than 1 percent of the the dust, we go down with Saeb says the law could
el," he told The Associated turned the country's Arab population, Israel's 130,000 them," Saeb said. "We're be fixed by adding one
Press at his office, which minority — 20 percent of Druze carry outsized influ- not connected to the Jews clause: "equality for all citi-
has been turned into the the population — into sec- ence in the country. to protect them, we don't zens."
"Headquarters of the Na- ond-class citizens. The law Unlike the Muslim and Chris- serve the Jews. We're not The protest leaders have
tion-State Law Protest." has faced both civil oppo- tian Arab minorities, Israeli loyal temporarily. We're called for Israel's decla-
Israeli and multicolored sition and legal protests, in- Druze are drafted to the loyal to our home. This is my ration of independence,
Druze flags covered nearly cluding multiple challenges military and many strongly home." which enshrines protection
every inch of the walls, and in the Supreme Court. identify as Israeli. Most live Speakers at Saturday's rally of minority rights, to sup-
his desk was stacked with Netanyahu's government in hilltop towns and vil- said that special relation- plant the new legislation.
posters bearing a Jewish has had a strained relation- lages in the Galilee, where ship between the Jews and Issued in May 1948, it pro-
Star of David in the Druze ship with much of the Arab memorials honor the more Druze had suffered a major claimed the country as the
colors: green, red, yellow, minority. Many oppose his than 500 Druze soldiers and blow because of the Na- Jewish homeland, rebuilt
blue and white. hard-line policies toward police officers killed in the tion-State Law. after 2000 years of exile. But
The law, sponsored by their Palestinian brethren line of duty. A handful of Druze soldiers it also called for the "devel-
Prime Minister Benjamin Ne- in the West Bank and Gaza They have risen to senior in the Israeli military criti- opment of the country for
tanyahu's Likud party and or remain scarred by his military positions and have cized the law on social me- the benefit of all its inhab-
passed by parliament last 2015 election-day attempt served as senior ministers dia, breaking military rules itants." It guarantees "com-
month, endorsed the coun- to galvanize supporters by and diplomats. that prohibit soldiers from plete equality of social and
try's identity as the nation- warning that Arabs were Saeb said there was no expressing political opin- political rights to all inhabit-
state of the Jewish people. voting in "droves." conflict between his Israeli ions. ants irrespective of religion,
But it also downgraded But the backlash among and Druze identities, liken- Lt. Amir Jmall wrote in a race, or sex."
Arabic from an official lan- the Druze is surprising and ing it to the dual identity of post directed at Netan- Saeb said that he him-
guage to one of "special potentially politically dam- American Jews. How would yahu that he, his brothers, self has never "felt second
standing" and emphasized aging. they feel, he asked, if the and father all served in the class" as a Druze in Israel,
"developing Jewish settle- The Druze belong to a small U.S. passed a law stating military and in return are and his qualm is solely with
ment as a national value." secretive sect that splin- the country was a Christian treated like "second class government policies.
Advocates of the law say it tered off Shiite Islam in the nation? citizens" by the law. "I'm fighting so that the
merely enshrines the state's Middle Ages, with popu- "We Druze decided before "I don't want to continue state doesn't become sec-
existing character and up- lations concentrated in the foundation of the state and I am sure that hun- ond-class, because laws
holds the rights of minor- the mountainous areas of (in 1948) to go with the dreds of other people will like this turn it into second-
ity groups in a democratic Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Jews, and if the Jews bite stop serving and be re- class state," he said.q