An Israeli Druze member of the Knesset told a meeting of the Community Relations Committee of Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles that the media in the U.S. has exaggerated and distorted Druze protests over Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights.
Zeidan Atashi, who has acted as an unofficial mediator between the Golan Druze and the Israel government, said that only about 9,000 Druze live in the Golan as compared to some 45,000 living in the rest of Israel. And, of that number, he observed, a “silent majority” do not support the general strike now in its eighth week in the area to protest annexation.
Atashi said that media distortions make it seem as though the strike action has unanimous support, not only in the Golan, but among the Druze in the rest of Israel. This, he said is simply not true.
“The Druze in the Golan have had several concerns regarding annexation. In my role as unofficial mediator I have attempted to answer their questions,” Atashi said. “They were chiefly concerned about the draft, about whether Israeli citizenship would be imposed and whether their land would be confiscated.”
Atoshi met with government officials and then with Golan Druze political and religious leaders. He reassured them that there will be no imposition of Israeli citizenship and that their young people will not be subject to the draft. The land issue, however, proved a bit difficult for him to answer.
“The major problem with land holdings in the area is that after the ’67 War, the Druze acquired the land without title. They just settled where they wanted and began to cultivate it. This creates some problems and I could not provide area leaders with any firm answer about what will happen to their land,” Atashi said. He reassured the audience that Druze Arabs in Israel remain loyal to the country, are proud to be Israeli citizens and serve in the army. He said his goal during his visit to the U.S. is to correct the false impression that the U.S. media has conveyed about the situation.
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