Days of violent riots by Druze-Israeli citizens in the northern Golan Heights, during which over 12 Israel Police officers were injured, were supposedly sparked by the construction of a wind turbine farm near the town of Majdal Shams in the Ramat HaGolan area of northern Israel.

However, the project is being carried out by the Energix energy company on legally purchased land and not on “stolen” land as some of the Druze claim. As it turns out, the rage driving the riots is much deeper than wind turbines and according to Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, “goes back 40 years.”

In an interview with Ynet on Thursday, Tarif admitted that the wind turbines are “just an excuse, the problem is bigger.” A document he submitted to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in a meeting on Wednesday, published by Ynet for the first time, reveals what the Druze are trying to achieve through their violent protests, with the main issue stemming from the rampant illegal construction in the sector.

The document presents a series of demands, including that the State allocate land to the homeless in Druze settlements on a background of an apparent housing crisis in the sector. Most notably, the document refers to the Kaminetz Law, a law passed in 2017 to curb rampant illegal construction in Arab and Druze communities. According to the document, thousands of Druze homes were built illegally and Sheikh Tarif stated that the enforcement of fines “has led to economic ruin for the members of the Druze community who wish to build residential apartments on private land.”

“The planning procedures are progressing extremely slowly and have been going on for over a decade and have not yet ended, while the enforcement procedures are immediate and severe. There is a natural population growth in the community that has been waiting for many years for planning solutions, but there are none now or in the foreseeable future.”

Tarif clarified that he is “against all violence”. However, he added: “We have to ask how we got here. How did we reach this situation? The problem is very big, but we need to understand it. The problem is the issue of planning and construction and the fines that are imposed on us, fines of hundreds of thousands of shekels. Each person receives a fine of between NIS 300,000 – 600,000 and becomes a criminal. They are all salt of the earth. It’s not their fault that they built on private land.”

The issue of the wind turbines is only mentioned at the end of the document. The Druze residents who live in the area of the planned project are demanding the removal of five or six turbines, which they claim will harm the future development of Druze settlements in the northern Golan. In addition, they are demanding that Energyx compensate all the farmers in the area, and not only those whose land lies in the path of the turbines.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai wanted to surrender to Druze threats of continued violence and temporarily freeze the construction of the turbines but he was overruled on Thursday by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said: “I don’t want any sector to threaten the law.” The two traveled to the north by helicopter on Wednesday to the Druze village of Julis for a meeting with Druze leaders.

Shabtai still maintains his position to temporarily freeze the construction work until after the Feast of the Sacrifice but Shabtai is adamantly opposed to a surrender to violence. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to make the final decision on the matter.

According to Ynet, police officers are the field are outraged by Shabtai’s recommendation, calling it “shameful.”

A 0404 reporter wrote: “Let’s be clear. What’s seen in the videos are not ‘Druze protests.’ With all due respect to the tribe – these aren’t protests. Live fire, an attempt to take over a police station, harming security forces by throwing explosives and stories – is what is called terror. Thank you.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)