DRUZE ELDERS: TIRED OF BEING TAKEN FOR GRANTED,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 004111

SIPDIS

NSC FOR WATERS/DORAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL LE SY IS
SUBJECT: DRUZE ELDERS: TIRED OF BEING TAKEN FOR GRANTED,
WARN OF RISING EXTREMISM AMONG YOUTH


Classified By: CDA Gene Cretz for reasons 1.4 (b)(d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. During a meeting October 6, Druze leaders
told PolCouns and poloffs that after almost sixty years,
Druze loyalty to Israel had still not been rewarded. They
cautioned that unless conditions in their communities
improved soon, young Druze would begin sliding toward
extremism. They also criticized the GOI for appointing
"illiterate judges" to the Druze religious court, and
appealed for U.S. help to ensure the safety of Walid Jumblatt
in Lebanon. The Druze elders urged the U.S. to recognize the
Druze as a force of moderation and tolerance in the Middle
East, and, despite their complaints, suggested that the Druze
in Israel were a living example of democratic coexistence.
END SUMMARY.

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DEMAND FOR EQUALITY
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2. (C) PolCouns and poloffs met October 6 with prominent
Druze community leaders in the Mt. Carmel region of the
Galilee to discuss their concerns about the future of the
Druze community in Israel. Hosted by retired Israeli
diplomat and former MK Zeidan Atashi, the gathering included
a cross-section of the Druze elite -- politicians,
businessmen, lawyers, academics and retired IDF officers.
Saying that &as a sect and a community, we are frustrated,8
they warned that the Druze in Israel were nearing a tipping
point, because after decades of &absolute loyalty8 to the
state, the Druze were still not afforded the same
opportunities as their Jewish compatriots despite their
service to the State of Israel. &We gave the Israeli,s
sixty years and are tired of waiting for equality,8 one
retired Druze Colonel and veteran of the wars of 1967, 1973
and 1982 said, adding that the GOI only remembers the Druze
when their service is required in war.

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LACK OF STATE INVESTMENT IN DRUZE AREAS
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3. (C) The Druze leaders complained that GOI investment in
education and development in their communities was not
sufficient, and, as a result, Druze youth were becoming
increasingly disillusioned with the state. For example, the
Druze commented on GOI efforts to promote investment in
industrial zones in nearby Jewish communities, such as
Carmiel. No comparable state-directed effort had been given
to the Druze communities. In fact, some GOI policies, such
as the QIZ textile programs between Israel, Egypt and Jordan,
had actually resulted in greater unemployment among Druze
women, who had previously worked in textile factories in
northern Israel. At stake, they said, is nothing less than
the future loyalty of the Druze in Israel.

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FRUSTRATION COULD FUEL EXTREMISM
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4. (C) Without greater equality and more opportunities,
young Druze were beginning to question military service and
to reject the traditional Druze value of loyalty to the
society in which they live. This would be a very dangerous
shift, they warned, and would lead to marginalization and
extremism. They noted that Islamic extremist propaganda was
already beginning to make inroads in their communities and
that a few young Druze had already begun sliding in that
direction. Former (Likud) MK Asad Asad, a retired Colonel in
the IDF, claimed that Druze participation in recent elections
had declined significantly, as had support for parties such
as Likud and Kadima.

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NO POLITICAL PATRON FOR THE DRUZE
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5. (C) The Druze elders expressed concern that unlike
previous generations of Israeli leaders, the new
Russian-speaking political class had no history with the
Druze and thus no tradition of cooperation and compromise.
The rise of the Russians will not be good for the Druze, they
predicted. They cited this as another example of why time is
running out for the Druze to achieve a greater measure of
equality in Israel. "Our situation is worse that that of
other minorities in Israel. The Druze are not important to
Olmert, Peres or Peretz," Asad Asad claimed, adding that
while many Israeli Jewish politicians paid lip service to
Druze equality, only the late Yitzhak Rabin had actually
delivered on his promises.

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WE ARE THE MODERATES IN THE MIDDLE EAST
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6. (C) Fadil Mansour, a Druze elder, emphasized that the
Druze community in Israel was an example of the type of
moderates the U.S. was looking for in the Middle East: "Here
is where democracy is. The Druze are against religious
extremism." Alluding positively to U.S. support for
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Mansour urged similar
support for the Druze community in Israel. "If the U.S.
succeeds in promoting democracy and equality for Israel's
Arab communities, this will contribute to your efforts to
combat anti-Israel and anti-U.S. views in the broader Middle
East."
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STATE MEDDLING IN DRUZE RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
-------------- -

7. (C) Mansour, however, complained that the GOI had
interfered in the organization of the Druze religious
institutions by picking "illiterate judges" to serve in a
Druze religious court. He also warned that the GOI should
not interfere in Druze religious organizations, and bemoaned
what he claimed was an unfair denial of "open religious
councils" by the GOI. Comment: Our Druze interlocutors did
not appear to have a favorable view of the lone Druze MK
currently serving in the Knesset, Majalli Wahbee. Mansour
attributed the court-packing responsibility to the MOJ,
acting upon the recommendation of this MK. End Comment.

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PERSPECTIVES ON SYRIA AND LEBANON
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8. (C) Despite their complaints about the GOI, our Druze
interlocutors argued that Israeli Arabs had benefited far
more over the past fifty years (of Israeli rule) than the
preceding 500 years (of Ottoman rule). Unlike other Arabs,
however, the Druze have no "land issues" like Jerusalem or
even the Golan with the Jewish State, according to one Druze
businessman. In a separate conversation over lunch with the
Kadima-allied Druze mayor of Dalit El Carmel and Usfia, Dr.
Akram Hasson, poloffs heard an earful of criticism about
Bashar al-Asad's regime. Dr. Hasson privately disparaged the
possibility of an Israeli-Syrian peace agreement as long as
dictatorship prevailed in Syria. The Druze leaders also
repeated a request made by Atashi in a meeting with the
Ambassador on March 8 (when Walid Jumblatt was traveling to
the U.S.),that the U.S. do whatever it could to ensure
Jumblatt,s safety. They stressed that they were still very
concerned about his safety in Lebanon.


9. (U) NOTE: Hasson estimated the number of Druze in Israel
at about 100,000, significantly smaller than Druze
communities in Lebanon and Syria. While Israeli Druze enjoy
legal equality and perform the same military service as
Israeli Jews, the Druze elders complained that their
communities had fewer educational opportunities and higher
unemployment.

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