Israeli Druze: How do you define your identity?

Filmed before the Covid-19 outbreak
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What is this project?: Do you want to know what Israelis and Palestinians really think about the conflict? Ask a question and I will get answers. All answers are from random people and all answers are included and unedited. The questions come from you, the viewers.

[nadashaq]

"Worked as a teacher for 31 years, and now I work for my wife" 🤣🤣
I love this guy

[segasys]

Palestinian: This is my land.
Israeli: No, this is my land.
Druze: what's up guys, nice day today. Well, seeya later, gotta go do Druze stuff, have a nice day.

[yakigesher-zion]

All Israelis love Druze, I have never met before a single Israeli who had anything bad to say about Druze, every single interaction I’ve had with Druze have been behind positive. They taught me how to speak Arabic and the way they speak is so beautiful I love it

[shant]

Hello to Druze people from Armenia🇦🇲! This is very interesting video, thank you for this content. Druze people seem to be very nice, everyone is so kind and openhearted.

[mrniceguy]

Haha so trippy to hear “ I have family in City”

[israeltavor]

As a Jewish Israeli, I love Druze people. Got to talk to them and discuss and even debate with them, they are great. Israel need them, and make Israel a better place.

[guygusa]

As an Israeli (and Jewish) I have lots of love and respect to my Druze brothers!!! I'm proud and happy that they are a part of Israel!!

[lsjt]

When I was in Israel I loved talking to and meeting the Druze. They have a good sense of humour and a good energy about them, peaceful.

[gaijincoordinator]

I'm a 25 y-o Israeli who served in the IDF with many druze (about 40% of the unit were druze). All great people. Everyone has a lot to learn from the way they educate their kids.

[manishas]

I love Druze. They seem to love and respect whichever country they live in including Israel. I feel a sense of peace listening and reading them talk.💝

[amerlad]

these answers arent exceptions mind you, this is how every single druze person i met feels.
they are stateless people, they dont care who rules them, they just want to live in peace and be loyal to whoever as long as they get to live a normal happy life.
love these people.

[hazemdarwish]

ℹ️ As a Druze I explain why you hear different answers from every Druze!

Druze are Semite people that origin from the middle East with some saying that they have roots as Caucasian or Egyptian or northern Arabic... after living in this region for way more than a thousand year... we developed our own ethno-religious group... Now we are only Druze... but we are similar to all middle Easterners and Semitic people.

We don't know which language our ancestors used to speak before the Muslim conquests (most likely Semitic).. but we speak Arabic since then and since we live all in the middle east.. we also got simmalr culture and traditions.. tho still different.

Cuz of this long time speaking Arabic and surround with Arabs and possible Arab origins... some start to identify as Arab whereas some other just don't!

(today being Arab tends to mean you speak Arabic and not being ethnically Arab... as a Tunisian Berber might also say he/she is Arab )

Many Druze say we passed through a lot of religion and so for example we were Jews.. Christian... Muslims.. Shia.. and other philosophical ideologies until we figured out our own thing (a mixture of all.. cuz all religions lead to one thing theoretically)...

Islam being the last religion we left... some still like to identify as Muslims.. (tho we interpret the Quran very differently!... we do nothing like Muslims) and some like to do so to avoid hostile environment from other extremist Muslims! Most Druze when asked privately (no pressure or possible consequences) would say they are only Druze.. no Muslims

I myself feel comfortable entering a church a synagogue or a mosque (tho not my favourite cuz honestly some/many Muslims wouldn't be pleased to hear that I'm a Druze) ...

So I'm just a Druze who accepts all religions and read all books and try to learn and respect everybody although we have our own principals and so on...

DRUZE are great Nationalists and Patriots! so Syrian Druze would identify as such just like Lebanese, Jordanian, Israelis, Canadians, American, German and so on... they are so loyal that they would argue among each other just because of that.. (stupid right! lol ) for example a Syrian Druze would argue with an Israeli Druze about which country is better or right or wrong ...
so it only takes some time for a Druze to integrate within a country and start to identify as such... (similar to Jews in Europe in the past)...

hope this has explained why Druze answers can be so different

love and peace

[jessecastro]

This video is a long time coming Corey, Thanks.
The Druze community deserves to be recognized for their contributions to Israeli society, security and for their unique culture/ religion.

[tournesol]

I’m Druze Israeli and I feel most connected to the great Jewish people 💙

[chrissim]

I am an Israeli Jew, and I love the Druze faith and its people so much.

[skellingtonmeteoryballoon]

Religion of druze seems friendly enough to interview. Smart guy, he says he work for his wife 🤣

[ronashman]

As an elderly male tourist from New Zealand in 2017, I did not even know they existed. In a very crowded bus in Galilee I got sat down next to a Druze girl about 17 who spoke excellent English. What a credit to her people she was. Highly educated and with a great outlook on life, she loved being an Israeli Druze. Another fascinating facet about Israel. Dear Lord, it is an amazing country.

[seang]

Love the Druze
Good upbringing and education and most loyal people I ever got to know
❤️🇮🇱

[mikeylejan]

Druze are great people. They consider Jethro as their ancestor

[michaelwiebe]

I have nothing but outmost respect for the Israeli Druze!