Druze in Israel

November 9, 2025 - As is the case for the Circassian ... Druzism, the Druze ethnic religion, developed out of Isma'ilism, a branch of Shia Islam, but the Druze do not consider themselves Muslims....

July 20, 1998 - Druze soldiers have since fought for Israel in every Arab-Israeli war. They are the only Arab group conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces, and they participate in Israel’s border security and diplomatic corps. In July 2018, when the Israeli Knesset enacted a law with constitutional weight that enshrined Israel as a Jewish state, the Druze led the backlash; they claimed the law made them second-class citizens and was a betrayal to their dedication and service to the country.

July 21, 2025 - Israeli Druze make up roughly 2% of the country’s population and live mostly in the northern regions of the Galilee, Carmel and the Golan Heights. Their tradition dates back to the 11th century and incorporates elements of Islam, Hinduism and even classical Greek philosophy.

April 15, 2025 - Druze are ethnically Arab and Arabic speaking, but many do not consider themselves Palestinian. Their monotheistic religion incorporates many beliefs from Islam, Judaism and Christianity, and is also influenced by Greek philosophy and Hinduism.

It was frequently mentioned in historical sources from the thirteenth century onward, noting its many springs, flourishing gardens, orchards, and small Jewish community, which has been present there almost continuously since the Second Temple period. In and near the village are significant sites for Druze and Jews, including a restored synagogue dating back to the Roman Period.

April 9, 2013 - The Druze reside in 14 localities located in the Northern District (81% of the Druze population, excluding the Golan Heights) and Haifa District (19%). The Druze in Israel were officially recognized in 1957 by the government as a distinct ethnic group and an autonomous religious community, independent of Muslim religious courts. They have their own religious courts, with jurisdiction in matters of personal status and spiritual leadership. Druze are Arabic speakers and their culture is, to a large extent, Arab.

The Druze are a distinct religious community that originated as an offshoot of Islam during the 10th century, though they incorporate elements from various faiths, including Judaism and Christianity.

3 weeks ago - The only early Arab historian who mentions the Druze is the eleventh century Christian scholar Yahya of Antioch, who clearly refers to the heretical group created by ad-Darazī, rather than the followers of Hamza ibn 'Alī. As for Western sources, Benjamin of Tudela, the Jewish traveler who ...

September 29, 2025 - The Druze were first recorded by the 12th century Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela who described them as fearless, mountain-dwelling warriors who favoured the Jews.

January 10, 2024 - However, there is still widespread discrimination against them in many areas, and most of them wilfully isolate themselves from Jews in a social sense. As it was mentioned above, the Druze serve in the Israeli army: this bond between Jews and Druze is known as ‘Covenant of Blood’. While, for decades, the Druze had their own battalion, many of them rather signed up for Jewish combat formations, and in fact there have also been Druze voices calling for disbanding the separate unit entirely.

The Druze are Druze. The Druze religion is RELATED to both Judaism and Islam - we think. One thing we do know, is that the Druze religion is gnostic, in the sense that - they don’t talk about it to outsiders.

Druze men must serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and they are integrated into the Israeli political system. Yet, they suffer from a national identity crisis compared to other Israeli Arab Palestinians, while their socioeconomic situation is the same as other non-Jewish citizens.

March 9, 2025 - The unit was mainly Jewish, even with Orthodox Jews among their number, but they all came to hear about Yeshua, thanks to this one brave Druze young man. The Druze are loyal to Israel, yet speak Arabic.

July 17, 2025 - Though Druze people speak Arabic, they consider themselves a distinct, unique group. During the British Mandate period, when Great Britain ruled present-day Israel (1923-1948), tensions between Jews and Arabs soared. A series of Arab pogroms against Jewish communities swept present-day Israel in 1929, resulting in the deaths of scores of Jews.

April 23, 2025 - Today, the Druze remain the only Arab group in Israel with compulsory military service, excluding those in the Golan Heights. This arrangement, along with their active sociopolitical engagement, provides a compelling case for examining minority integration within a predominantly Jewish state.

July 24, 2025 - Israel’s Druze population numbers around 140,000 and is one of the country’s most engaged non-Jewish minorities. They live in northern Israel—in places like Daliyat al-Karmel and Isfiya—and in the Golan Heights.

April 3, 2015 - Army service and subsequent employment among Jewish Israelis also exposes Druze people to the norms of Jewish Israeli society. As a result, Israeli Druze society, though still very traditional (even relative to Arab Israeli society as a whole), is slowly changing. These changes are especially marked in the status of women.

Answer (1 of 4): It's basically quite simple: The Druze, or whatever you want to call them—I mean, they call themselves "the Unified Ones" ("al-mu'wahidun")—are non-Jews from a Jewish perspective.