The Druze Are Burning Israel’s Streets - and That's Good

At first glance, the sight of fires in the streets, blocked roads, and confrontations with soldiers obviously seems like chaos and disorder that no functioning society should tolerate. And indeed, civil unrest, disruption of daily life, and especially the targeting of IDF personnel are unexcusable. But in the case of the Druze protests erupting across Israel, there is something deeper and more important unfolding.

The Druze community, or at least significant parts of it, has long been bound to the Jewish state in a covenant of blood. They have fought and died alongside Jewish soldiers in every war since Israel's founding. Now, in the face of perceived betrayal, they are refusing to sit quietly. Their rage may appear unruly but it conveys something powerful that too many Israeli Jews seem to have forgotten.

The Jewish public today often resembles a frog slowly boiling in a pot — passive, silent, and paralyzed as the water around them heats to a deadly boil, incapable of compelling their own government to act in defense of their lives.

The Druze, in contrast, do not wait passively while their people are threatened, as we see tragically happening to Druze communities in Syria. They rise. They act. They fight. In doing so, they are teaching the Jewish majority something vital, a lesson in civic responsibility, brotherhood in arms, and yes, even masculine resolve.

Am I thrilled that one and a half percent of the population is effectively dictating terms to the government? No. Do I like the idea that Israel may now feel obligated to intervene for Druze outside its borders? Not necessarily. It is not our war. But even with these reservations, one thing is clear: the Druze are modeling something essential that many Israeli Jews seem to have lost. The willingness to say no, to rise when dignity or loyalty is at stake, to challenge the system when it turns on its own.

If Israeli Jews cannot seem to learn active citizenship from the Americans, perhaps it is time they learn it from the Druze.