Islam Times - Druze Syrians in Israeli-Occupied Golan Pledge Loyalty to Motherland

Islam Times - Carrying Syrian flags, hundreds of Druze Syrians who live on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights gathered Sunday to pledge loyalty to Syrian motherland and protest against the Israeli occupation on the anniversary of annexation of the territory by the Zionist regime.

On this day, the Syrians affirmed their adherence to the Syrian Arab identity and struggle against all Israeli settlement plans in the occupied Golan and determination to liberate the Golan completely from the Israeli occupation.

The open strike was organized by Golan citizens on the 14th of February 1982 in rejection of the Israeli occupation’s decision issued on December 14, 1981 to annex the occupied Syrian Golan and impose Israeli laws on its people.

Dressed in traditional black garb and white hats, the protesters chanted and rejected the imposition of the Israeli identity and the null annexation decision, affirming their adherence to their Syrian national identity and determination to resist the arbitrary occupation measures until the liberation of Golan and its return to the homeland, Syria.

The Golan is part of Syria which the Israeli regime captured it in the 1967 war with the Arab country. Israel annexed the territory in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally.

The Syrian residents of Golan announced a strike against the Israeli occupation and have since been imposed with a military siege on their villages and towns, which have been preventing the delivery of food in an attempt to isolate them from the outside world and force them to end the strike and accept the Zionist laws.

The Syrians in Golan faced an unjust siege and occupation pressured them to show steadfastness, resistance and carry on fierce confrontations with the occupation forces. The most important of which was the identity battle that took place on April 1, 1982.

Around 22,000 Druze live on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights who reject all kinds of integrating with their Israel aggressors.