Hundreds of demonstrators in Sweida and other cities with large Druze populations across southern Syria marched to demand self-government on Saturday.
Many of the protesters carried Israeli flags as a gesture of thanks to Israel for coming to their defense last month.
Clashes broke out in July between the Druze and tribes of Sunni Muslim Bedouins living around Sweida, the capital city of its province. The Syrian central government sent in troops to restore order, but the Druze said those troops joined forces with the Bedouin to attack them. Israel, which has a sizable Druze population, launched airstrikes against Syrian troops to keep them away from Sweida.
Roughly 1,600 people were killed in the July battles, including Bedouins, Druze militia, Druze civilians, and fighters loyal to the junta government in Damascus.
The central government, a coalition of jihadi and rebel groups led by former al-Qaeda lieutenant Ahmed al-Sharaa, promised to investigate reports of violence against the Druze after a horrifying video of government forces occupying a Sweida hospital and executing one of its staffers went viral last week. The results of the investigation are expected within three months.
The Druze do not appear to have a great deal of faith in Sharaa’s promises of fair treatment. Sunday’s protests were the largest demonstrations since the violence in July and the first time they have demanded self-government since the ouster of dictator Bashar Assad in December ended the 14-year-long Syrian civil war.
“This is an unprecedented change for the Druze in Syria,” Rayyan Maarouf, leader of a group called Suwayda 24, told the Associated Press (AP) on Saturday.
The Druze appeared eager to send the message that they are ready to defend themselves again if necessary, as many of the demonstrators on Saturday were armed and wearing military vests decorated with Israeli flags. Some of the protesters called on Israel to support their demand for self-determination.
On Sunday, Sharaa accused Israel of interfering in Sweida to weaken his government and create a pretext for invading and annexing Syrian territory.
“Syria opposes division and anyone who calls for it is a political ignoramus and a dreamer. There is no real danger of division but there are those who want it,” he snapped.
Sharaa rejected their call for self-government on Sunday in remarks carried by Syrian state television.
“We still have another battle ahead of us to unify Syria, and it should not be with blood and military force,” he said. “It should be through some kind of understanding because Syria is tired of war.”
“I do not see Syria as at risk of division. Some people desire a process of dividing Syria and trying to establish cantons … This matter is impossible,” he said.
On Tuesday, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, U.S. envoy Thomas Barrett, and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack in Paris to discuss establishing a humanitarian corridor from Israel to Sweida.
Barrett and Shaibani met in Jordan last week after Oman refused a request from Israel to deliver food and medicine to Sweida. Israel said the murder video from the hospital made it clear that the Druze needed urgent assistance. Israel then began making plans to air-drop supplies to Sweida.
The Israelis are concerned that terrorists will use the unrest around Sweida to smuggle weapons through the Golan Heights, which also have a large Druze population. Barrett met last week with Sheikh Mufak Tarif, a leader of the Druze community in Israel, to discuss creating a carefully-monitored path for delivering aid to Sweida. Tarif said that the city and its Druze community have effectively been under siege since the Bedouin clashes last month.
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