March With the Druze IDF Battalion

Have you met the men of the Sword Battalion, a small elite wing of the Israeli Defense Force?  In the “March with the Druze IDF Battalion,” I thought I would see a serious battalion learning how to get tough and become an official member of the Herev (Sword) Battalion. 

What I saw was much different.  I saw a group of men excited and joyous to be a part of a brotherhood, one who is proud to protect the borders of their home, ready to serve the battalion, and not forgetting to give Praise to Yahweh.  It’s as if they know their strength, and their victory comes from the Lord.  

As I dug into who they were, I found some interesting stories.  They are part of the elite men and women of The Israeli Defense Force.  They were “The Minorities Unit” filled with Druze defectors from the Arab Liberation Army, small numbers of Bedouin men, and Circassian men, who were organized due to difficult language barriers between the Jewish service members and these minority groups at the time.   

The Druze men, however, proved to be honorable strong men requesting to be part of the mandatory draft on the same basis as the Jewish men and women.  Up until that time, in the mid-1950s, the requirement was that all individuals in the country had to serve except non-Jews.  Eventually the Druze “only” Battalion was disbanded with the official announcement from Lt. Gen Gadi Eizenkot on May 18th, 2015.  This wasn’t decided because there were no more Druze men but rather because they had increasingly joined regular combat units of the IDF and attained high ranks and commendations for distinguished service.  There was no need for segregation of people groups.  

 

Related Articles

More From Israel Now

Border Crossing

Tens of thousands of people pass through an Israeli border every day. Israel is winning its…
Border Crossing

Israel Trail Angels

Meet Dani and Ronit, who are just two of the many Trail Angels opening their hearts and homes…
Israel Trail Angels
The Knesset

The Knesset

The Knesset, a shortened form of the Great Knesset, is a Hebrew word for “assembly,” and is…
The Knesset
Photo: Graffiti and street artists at work with Artists 4 Israel

Here is Israel - Artists 4 Israel

Craig Dershowitz is the executive director of Artists 4 Israel. They are an pro-Israel advocacy…
Here is Israel - Artists 4 Israel

Publish the Menu module to "offcanvas" position. Here you can publish other modules as well.
Learn More.


donation