IDF sees sharp rise in enlistment from Druze, Bedouins, and Arab Christians - Dana Ben Shimon

 

​ by Dana Ben Shimon

Two years of war have seen a rise in military enlistment from Israel’s minority communities.

 

A reported massacre of Druze civilians by Syrian army forces and allied militias in July 2025 prompted Druze from Israel to cross the border.

(photo credit: Aldema Milstein/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

 

When deadly clashes erupted last July between Bedouin and Druze militias in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, some members of the Druze community living in Israel crossed the border to protect their kin. For Safi Ibrahim, an IDF colonel from the community, the crisis sparked genuine solidarity and brought emotions to the surface. As part of the events, he participated in a military operation in Syria – a mission that became deeply personal for him, fusing his military service with his identity.

For him and other members of Israel’s Druze community, the turmoil across the border has become a catalyst for a broader shift within their community – which includes a dramatic rise in IDF enlistment among Druze who live on the Golan Heights, who are long known for their opposition to Israel. The events in Syria, coupled with the shock of the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, are reshaping attitudes toward the Israeli state, the army, and the Druze community’s place within both.

“Protecting lives and defending your people makes you feel you did something really important and valuable. It’s a great pride,” Ibrahim told The Jerusalem Report in a recent interview.

“The Druze residing in Syria believe there is no one who can help them more than the State of Israel,” he said, adding that “there is a very strong awareness among the Druze here and the general leadership [in Israel] about the necessity to support the Syrian Druze. That is meaningful to me as a Druze serving in the IDF.

“In the end, they are our brothers,” said Ibrahim, 45, who hails from the Druze-majority town of Maghar in northern Israel. “It’s true they belong to another country, but they are still our own flesh and blood.”

IDF Col. Safi Ibrahim heads the army’s department for soldiers from Israel’s minority populations. (credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

The Golan awakening

For Ibrahim – who for the past two years has headed the army’s department for soldiers from Israel’s minority populations – the Suweida clashes and the aftermath of the October 7 attack strengthened the sense of belonging many Druze feel toward Israel and deepened their commitment to serve.

The most surprising change has emerged in the Golan Heights, home to more than 20,000 Druze living in four towns: Majdal Shams, Mas’ade, Buq’ata, and Ein Qiniyye.

For decades, since Israel captured the area in 1967 and annexed two-thirds of the territory in 1981, Golan Druze have largely opposed Israeli sovereignty, identifying with the regime in Syria and keeping their distance from Israeli society.

Unlike the Druze of the Galilee and Carmel – who serve proudly and prominently in the IDF – the Golan’s Druze historically held residency without Israeli citizenship and avoided military service.

That is now shifting, Ibrahim said. IDF enlistment among Golan Druze has surged, with motivation reportedly six times higher than before. He was the first to identify and cultivate the change.

“Shortly after the war began, we saw a willingness among the local population to defend themselves and join the reserves,” the colonel said. “We facilitated training for 150 people, and they continue to serve to this day. Now you see them in IDF uniforms in their villages – something they were reluctant to do previously because they were either shy or afraid.”

A second group of 150 Golan Druze soldiers began basic training this month, and demand continues to climb. Requests for Israeli citizenship are rising as well.

This shift is driven partly by fear following the collapse of the Syrian regime a year ago, and after a missile strike on a Majdal Shams soccer field in August 2024 that killed 12 children.

A broader surge

As well as overseeing the recruitment and integration of soldiers from the Druze and Circassian communities, for whom military service is mandatory, Ibrahim is also responsible for Bedouins, Muslims, and Christians, for whom conscription is voluntary. He said there has been an increase in enlistment across the board.

For the Druze, conscription has climbed 5%, reaching an overwhelming 85% since October 7. Bedouin service also remains high – just over 60% – with many in combat roles, particularly in units like the Desert Reconnaissance Battalion.

“As for Muslims [who are not Bedouins], we’ve recently seen a phenomenon of a few more joining; for example, from Arab towns and cities like Nazareth, Ramla, Sakhnin, and Dir al-Asad,” Ibrahim told the Report.

He also noted that Arab Christian enlistment has increased threefold in the past year.

“One explanation is that no matter what minority group you come from, everyone saw the cruelty of October 7 and realized that the enemy didn’t care if it was a Bedouin woman with a headscarf or a Jew from a kibbutz,” he said. “Arab Christians here also saw how their counterparts in Syria have been slaughtered and persecuted by [Syrian leader Abu Mohammad] Al-Jolani’s forces” [who currently goes by the name Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa].

When deadly clashes erupted last July between Bedouin and Druze militias in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, some members of the Druze community living in Israel crossed the border to protect their kin. (credit: JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Still a small force

While the increase is notable, the number of Israelis from minority communities joining the army remains fairly low overall. Muslims are believed to number only a few dozen soldiers, and Christians a few hundred.

“In my unit itself, you can find a few Muslim women soldiers,” Ibrahim said, estimating that there is a potential for up to 10,000 to 20,000 Arab Muslims to become soldiers.

“But for those who dream of waking up tomorrow morning and recruiting thousands with just a push of a button, it won’t happen,” he said, adding that pushing too hard would “create antagonism.”

Drafting Arab Muslims in the military has long been a sensitive issue in Israel, tied to the broader conflict with the Palestinians and also to internal political tensions between the sector and the state. Some critics blame the Arab political and civic leadership for discouraging military integration from their community.

Faith and family

Ibrahim will soon end his term, but the changes he has succeeded in making are far-reaching. Over the past two years, he established five military training academies aimed at preparing Druze youth for what he called “significant service.”

“My aim is to push them to serve in combat roles and special units,” he said of the programs.

The IDF colonel said his passion for the military comes from growing up in a family that is deeply committed to the army. All five of his brothers served in active duty during the war; four of them are commanders. His older brother is Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim, head of the IDF’s Civil Administration in the West Bank.

“We drew our strength from our mother. She never told us it’s dangerous, don’t go,” he said. “She always gave us confidence that what needs to happen, happens.

“I believe in that, too… Our faith as Druze drives us to take on combat service,” said Ibrahim, emphasizing one of the core beliefs of his community.

Dana Ben Shimon

Source: https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report/article-876669

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter