Israel’s Druze citizens have petitioned the government to extend military and humanitarian aid to their brethren in Syria who are increasingly unable to rely on the weakened Assad regime for protection against Islamic State. Caroline Glick sees an opportunity for Israel:
[I]n the humanitarian realm, Israel can set up refugee camps on the Syrian side of the border. It can arm the Druze villagers. It can protect them from the air. As for the nearly three-quarters-of-a-million Druze at Jebl Druze, [the Druze heartland in Syria], . . . they wish to defend and govern themselves in an autonomous region for the foreseeable future.
But to fend for themselves, they need weapons. Without arms, with the regime’s collapse seemingly imminent, it is possible that the Druze will be unable to survive. It is also possible that if Israel doesn’t provide them with weapons, someone else—perhaps Hizballah—will arm them and so buy their loyalty. . . .
If the government decides to act along these lines, it doesn’t mean that it will be in a position to start making long-term strategic plans that rely on Druze support. . . . [But by] helping them [Israel] can signal to others—for instance, the Kurds—that it can be trusted. . . . Given our own Druze community, our moral duty and national interest in ensuring their survival is self-evident.
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