Dream-like reunion: Druze cross Golan Heights buffer zone

People in the Golan Heights Gathered Near the Demilitarised Zone

On Thursday, many Druze residents flocked to the Israeli‑controlled side of the armistice line in the Golan Heights, hoping to see relatives on the Syrian‑held side who might cross the barbed‑wire border.

Waving the Druze Flag

• Young men drove around the area, displaying the Druze flag with its five colorful stripes that symbolize the pillars of their faith, an esoteric offshoot of Shiite Islam.
• Israel has occupied the region since the 1967 war, separating the Golan Druze from their relatives across the buffer zone.
• In the crowds, everyone asked for news about families on the other side of the frontier, where days of violence in Syria’s Druze‑majority Sweida province have left hundreds dead.

Stories of Hope and Fear

• Qamar Abu Saleh, a 36‑year‑old educator from Majdal Shams, said: “Because of the dramatic situation in Syria, many people headed towards the border. They opened the fence and entered, and people from Syria also started crossing here.” She hoped the border would reopen permanently.
• Amali Shufek, in her 50s, hoped to meet her uncle’s family living just a few kilometres away on the Syrian side. “I’ve only seen photos of them,” she added.
• Nearby, a man hugged his cousin after a small Druze child from across the frontier waved an Israeli flag. They spent hours talking instead of sleeping.

Temporary Visits—A Day of Change

In the afternoon, several Druze under Israeli army supervision were escorted through a hole in the ceasefire line fence back to Syrian‑controlled territory.

Israel’s Protection of the Druze Minority

• Israel, home to over 150,000 Druze, has presented itself as a defender of the minority group and bombed Syrian forces in Sweida.
• Those living in Israel hold Israeli citizenship, but most of the roughly 23,000 from the occupied Golan do not and still identify as Syrians.
• Some analysts say Israel uses the Druze as a pretext to keep Syrian government forces away from the shared frontier.

Historical Context

After former Syrian president Bashar al‑Assad’s overthrow in December, the Israeli military took control of the UN‑monitored demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights and struck Syrian targets. Israel and Syria signed an armistice in 1974 but never a formal peace treaty. Israel has approached the new Islamist‑led authorities in Syria with caution and has displayed clear antagonism toward them.

Community Reflection

• Local elders and Druze clerics, wearing traditional clothing, watched the horizon. The Druze, spread across Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, “all belong to the same family,” said Salim Safadi, a 60‑year‑old lawyer.
• “When they have a problem we help them, and when we have a problem they help us,” he explained, noting many Druze serve in Israel’s armed forces and police.
• Intisar Mahmud, in her 60s, condemned the violence in Syria, calling it barbaric. She urged the world to support Syrian relatives and urged regional unity, saying “the current borders did not always exist.”