ABSTRACT
Israel is a major actor in the Syrian conflict and has vital interests in undermining the Syrian regime, which has been a vehement supporter of all resistance movements against Israeli occupation. Israel has interests as well in creating a Druze buffer state. But the Druze community is not willing to abandon its Arab identity or give up its loyalty to the Syrian state to become a pawn serving Israeli interests. In conclusion, the Druze case is very informative of the fate of minorities in the Arab Spring. Suffice it to say that Walid Junblat's call for his community to build mosques, pray five times a day, and adapt their beliefs and practises to align with those of the Sunni majority precisely echoed al-Julani's call for the Druze to 'correct' their false beliefs and conform to the Sunni orthodoxy. As a minority, Druze obviously prefers a democratic political order that respects diversity and pluralism to an oppressive dictatorship.
