Reviving the Druze state: The implications for Druze diaspora, Palestinians - opinion

The “day after” the Assad regime came unexpectedly, leaving a dangerous power vacuum in southern Syria.To address it, some suggested the re-establishment of the Druze state. Such a state already existed in Southern Syria between 1921-1936 as an autonomy during the French rule of Syria. 

Jews and Druze: Physical vs conceptual home

Having a Druze state would not mean that Druze would move there.

Druze in Israel are at the forefront of Israeli service and patriotism – an elite within the Israeli military and police force, bound with their Jewish brethren in what is known as the “blood covenant.” Israel is their home.

Indeed, for them and other diaspora Druze, the Druze state would not likely be a geographical home but a national homeland – somewhat akin to what the Jewish state is to Diaspora Jews.

Like the Druze in Israel, Jews in the United States – where over 70% of Diaspora Jews reside – are at the forefront of American patriotism and public service. American Jews are business leaders and entrepreneurs and are viewed as American cultural icons. Indeed, America is their home.

While most American Jews have never been to Israel, their Jewish identity is increasingly defined through their affiliation with the Jewish state – be it via positive or negative connections, whether they like it or not. As discussed in my book, Judaism 3.0: Judaism’s Transformation to Zionism, Jews are pulled into their Judaism through Israel – something that has become even more evident since October 7.

At the same time, Druze in Israel proudly wave the Druze national flag alongside the Israeli flag in festivals and ceremonies.

Similarly, Jews in the United States proudly wave the Israeli national flag alongside the American flag in Jewish events and in American synagogues.

A new horizon for Palestinians

Like Druze and Jews, Palestinians too, can adopt a new model of separating where one lives from where one holds his collective sentiments. This could not only lead to peace and prosperity but also allow Palestinians to reclaim their organic character, which has long been hijacked by Westerners.

Indeed, a primary reason Palestinian Arabs welcomed the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the entirety of the west bank and parts of the east bank of the Jordan River around 1920 was exactly because of this separation between physical and conceptual: They were able to express their collective identity through the Arab Kingdom of Syria and its Hashemite King Faisal.

Palestinian Arabs back then realized they could enjoy the best of all worlds: They could stay in their homes in Palestine, have a “national home” in Syria, and benefit from the advancements, capital, and infrastructure that were about to be put in place by the Jews.

Indeed, King Faisal explained in 1919 that his support for Zionism was, in part, due to his view that a prosperous Jewish homeland in Palestine would benefit not just Palestinian Arabs but the entire region. A century later, this Faisal principle became a cornerstone of the 2020 Abraham Accords.

Sadly, the 1920 utopian peace ended when France invaded Syria, deposed the king, and obliterated the Hashemite Kingdom of Syria. This led the British to reappropriate the “East Bank” of Palestine from the Jewish homeland in the making and give it to the deposed royal family, which then became the nucleus of today’s Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

At the same time, the British Colonialist office forced Arabs on the west bank of the Jordan River into a new identity as “Palestinians.” The ambitious British diplomat Mark Sykes even designed a new flag to promote this new identity. 

It is ironic that the Sykes flag, a brainchild of European Colonialism, is now waved when burning Tesla cars and desecrating US national monuments. This, while some Western media is increasingly using this flag and the Palestinian cause to incite the West against the Jewish state, leading to a dramatic spike in global antisemitism.

Indeed, the artificial cultivation of Palestinianism by Europe and its proxies, which started in 1920 and reached its peak in the 2020s, is now understood to have been a vehicle for European opposition to the Jewish state and, by extension, opposition to America. 

The Countering Antisemitism summit, which chose my book, The Assault on Judaism, as its official selection, highlighted this linkage.

The summit, held a short distance from “the Winter White House,” Mar-a-Lago – underscored what is becoming clear under the leadership of President Donald Trump: We are in a new ball game in 2025. Legacy templates are gone, and there are new rules of engagement.

Seismic shifts present new opportunities

As some Palestinians aspire to take advantage of this new ball game and build a better life elsewhere, having a viable point-of-orientation for their collective identity – be it in the west or east bank of the Jordan river – could indeed be helpful.

In this regard, the talk of a Druze state as a point of orientation for Druze and the reality of the Jewish state increasingly becoming a point of orientation for Jews can help Palestinians move beyond functioning as pawns in the Western assault on Judaism.

Instead, they can adopt a stance embraced by more and more Middle Eastern Arabs today, as well as by King Faisal back then: Do not oppose but benefit from the crisp light that is emanating from Zion.

The writer is the author of a new book, The Assault on Judaism: The Existential Threat Is Coming from the West. He is the chairman of the Judaism 3.0 Think Tank and author of Judaism 3.0: Judaism’s Transformation to Zionism (Judaism-Zionism.com). His geopolitical articles can be accessed on the website: EuropeAndJerusalem.com.