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Caption: Unidentified Israeli Druze Sheikhs pray next to the flag-draped coffin of Israeli Druze soldier Roni Ghanem during his funeral in the northern Druze village of Maghar, Monday, Aug. 5, 2002. Ghanem was killed Sunday in a bus bombing at Meron Junction. (AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Ashkenazi).

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Caption: Israeli Druze Aweidah Ramzi, third from right, and other unidentified friends of Meisoun Amin Hasan cry during her funeral in the northern Druze village of Sajur, Israel, Monday, Aug. 5, 2002. Hasan was killed Sunday in the bus bombing at Meron Junction. (AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Ashkenazi)

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Who are these Druze? What is their background?
How do they fit in with Israel?

Anyone?

Eric The(Historical)Hun[>]:)]

The Druze consider themselves a secret sect of Islam, so they try to keep their religious beliefs secret, but the basis of the Druze religion is the belief that at various times God has been divinely incarnated in a living person and that his last, and final, such incarnation was al-Hakim, the sixth Fatimid caliph, who announced himself at Cairo about 1016 as the earthly incarnation of God. The Druze believe in one God and do not pray in a mosque.  Some good web sites that have used in the past are (apparently a bunch of other cites don't work anymore):
http://www.religioustolerance.org/druse.htm
http://leb.net/dfhp/
http://www.mideastinfo.com/Religion/druze.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Outback/9277/d1.htm (Israeli Druze Society)
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/d/druze.asp

The Druze are loyal to the country that they live under. For example, the Druze is Israel are loyal to the Israeli government, the Druze in Lebanon are loyal to the Lebanonese government, etc.
The Druze in Israel live in 22 villages and are seperate into two groups: Those that live the Carmel Region (Hafia area) and those that live in the Golan Heights (not saying that theere isn't contact between the two groupds).  The Druze that live in the Carmel region are Israeli citizens and are drafted into the IDF (there is also a brigade infantry unit that is made up of Druzes and their unit patch is the Druze sword under a Druze star and a reconnaissance unit).  The Golan Heights Druze consider themselves Pro-Syrian, and are not drafted and rejected citizenship (in actuality, they cannot be blamed because they might one day find themselves back under Syrian control and to be an Isaeli citizen or former IDF vetern can not be considered a good idea).  Sometimes Druzes from the Israeli side of the Golan Heights are allowed to go to Syria to marry Druze women from Syria and come back or to go to school in Syria and come back.  

No matter which side Israel the Druze live on, they still carry that tradition of friendlness to strangers, and inviting them to their house where they bust out a huge meal.  

I have gotten to know several Druzes, and I have always been impressed by their friendlyness, kindness, and communityship.

Also, currently, I think there are one or two Druze members of parliment.  

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Very good, [b]the_Beer_Slayer and olowy[/b].

Y'all seem to know your stuff.

The Druze were always used as border patrol and trackers, ans still are to this day.

The Palestinians played heavy handed with the Druze at the beginning of the creation of modern Israel, killing many of the Druze village elders, and so alienated the Druze that ever since then, they and the Israelis are fast friends and allies.

Eric The(Virtual)Hun[>]:)]

They are also among the toughest and most remorseless fighters in the Israeli armed forces. I' ve never quite understood why Israel hasn't publicized the fact that there are in fact loyal Israeli Arabs who serve to defend THEIR country (too). It might be that they haven't wanted to piss off the Syrians, who might take revenge action against their Druse community.  

My first thought to ETH's title was "Not enough."

Thanks guys. I think I just restored some of the brain cells I killed by reading that Stupid Steven Seagull thread. [whacko]  [:D]

There are also Circassian (non-Arab Sunni Moslems) who serve and some beduions also volunters to act as trackers.  I wonder whether the lack of publication is more with concern with retalation by Arabs within Israel or the West Bank verus outside sources. Also, it is one of those facts that exists, and most people know about it, but don't cover it.  

As a side note, I recall reading that the Israeli Druze in the Border Guards (there is a large number of Druze and other minorities in the Borde Guards, the para-military police force  that can be served in instead of the IDF)had a tough reputation in Lebanon in 1980s.

Also, in 1967 a unit composed of mainly Druzes captured Jenin from the Jordanians, and hearing the soldiers speak Arabic, the local people thought it was the Iraqi expeditionary force rumored to be in the area, and came out and hugged and kissed the soldiers, until it was realized it was the IDF.