Druze women rebel against their sons' compulsory recruitment into IOF

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
13 Aug 2023 20:25
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Druze women in occupied Palestine send a letter to the community's spiritual leader in the occupied territories, expressing their intention to stop their children from enlisting in the IOF in protest of imposed fees and demolition orders.

Druze men in occupied Palestine fly their community's flag on November 3, 2017. (AFP)

Today, a letter was sent by a group of Druze women from the occupied '48 territories to the spiritual leader of the community in occupied Palestine, Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, announcing their decision to stop their children from joining compulsory military service in the Israeli Occupation Army, in light of the increased social marginalization of the community by the Israeli regime.

"Israel's" Makan news website reported that this letter comes as a protest by the Druze community against the occupation government’s failure to halt demolition orders, write off fines, approve the expansion of Druze villages and stop the Kaminitz law (which enables the occupation government to impose large scale building violations in Arab villages in the occupied territories).

"Our lives have become miserable because of all the fines that have been imposed against us. More than 50% of [Druze] families are living below the poverty line, according to the reports of the National Insurance," the letter reads.

"Furthermore, our identity and history are being distorted in the school curricula which they [the Israeli occupation government] have established; which is leading to overall low results in the Bagrut (Israeli high school certificate). Compulsory military service comes as a major impediment for [Druze children] in continuing their higher education in universities and institutes after they graduate from high schools."

"If the fines, demolition orders, and Kaminitz law are not suspended by the next conscription date, we will prevent our children from enlisting, and we will not give up on our rights," the letter concluded.