Over the weekend, Hezbollah fired a missile into Israel, killing 12 children and teens on a soccer field—and the world yawned.
The horrific deaths in Majdal Shams and the wounding of several other children and adults came after months of Hezbollah bombardment of communities in Israel’s north. In the wake of the attack, whose young victims were Druze, Hezbollah attempted to claim that it hadn’t fired the Iranian-supplied missile that killed the children—despite being the only party in Lebanon to have such a missile.
The Druze are an Arab-speaking minority who follow a religion that emerged from Islam in the 11th century. Most of the Druze religious tenets and practices are kept secret. The vast majority of them live in Lebanon and Syria, with a smaller number in Israel.
The divide in geographic location tends to split the Druze politically as well. While the Druze in Arab countries tend to be anti-Israel like the other residents of those lands, Israeli Druze—of whom there are over 140,000—tend to be pro-Israel. Unlike other Arabs, a large percentage of them serve in the IDF and many have attained high rank. They are classified by the state as a separate ethnic minority that is distinct from other Arabs.
(The divide among Israeli Druze and non-Israeli Druze hasn’t kept those in other countries from denouncing Hezbollah for the recent attack.)
The deaths of the children in Majdal Shams elicited horror and grief from Israelis and supporters of Israel around the world. The Israeli Olympic team held a special moment of silence for them. Several government ministers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, headed north to pay their condolences, although some were met with jeers.
The IDF has said that it is investigating how much of an advance warning the residents of Majdal Shams were given prior to the missile strike, as well as the failure of Iron Dome to shoot it down. (Hezbollah has tried to deflect blame by claiming the strike was a misfired Iron Dome missile, but the remains of an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket are what were retrieved at the site.) The IDF says that the topography of nearby mountains makes interceptions difficult.
As expected, the reaction of the world’s media has been atrocious. From The New York Times burying the story and referring to the children as “youths” to The Washington Post putting a picture of the grieving families under a headline reading “Israel Hits Targets in Lebanon,” the various outlets embarrassed themselves in their efforts to misdirect and minimize the toll on Israelis.
Much of the media conversation, as well as commentary from some countries such as France, was immediately directed toward the question of whether Israel would “escalate” a situation caused entirely by Hezbollah. Israel hasn’t said exactly what steps it will take to retaliate. The IDF did carry out a small drone attack on some Hezbollah operatives, but that doesn’t appear to have been the retaliation that politicians have been speaking about.
In August of 2017, I had the opportunity to meet with Eddie Nevoani, an Israeli Druze, in Yerushalayim. At the time, Eddie had a company called Goy Shel Shabbat, which was employed by various shomer Shabbos companies to tend to their technological needs on Shabbos. I later followed this up with a visit to Eddie and his family in their home in Junis, a charming Druze village in northern Israel. Most recently, I telephoned him this past Sunday to get his perspective on the recent carnage. What follows is a transcript of our conversation.
Around seven years ago, I visited your home in Julis, which I believe is only 20 kilometers from the border with Lebanon. Many things have changed since then. What’s it like to live in northern Israel at the present time?
We aren’t on what I would call the frontlines; I would say that we’re on the second line. There are Druze who live within two or three kilometers from the border, and there’s even a village that’s right on the border. People who live under the threat of rockets can’t live normally because their lives are in chaos. The government evacuated almost all of the residents who live next to the border, but a lot of people from our community stayed behind and took direct hits to their homes from short-range weapons like antitank missiles and RPGs. One family in the Golan was hit a few weeks ago. I don’t live with any fear at all, but it’s very dangerous and there are people who do live in fear.
Has Julis been targeted?
It isn’t being targeted right now, but during the Second Lebanon War a rocket fell in our village. Even though it didn’t explode, it was still very loud and caused damage. We aren’t afraid of death, and we sanctify life like the Jewish people. When I say that we don’t fear death, I mean that we understand that our time in this world is limited and will eventually come to an end, so there’s no reason to fear it. But that doesn’t mean that we seek it out. We don’t sanctify death, like Hezbollah, Hamas and the others do. We believe in life, peace and love.
Jews believe in life as a religious principle.
So do we. Years ago, I worked for Microsoft’s Israeli division, and I was the only Druze there. A non-Israeli once asked me, “Are you a Christian Druze or a Muslim Druze?” I replied, “We’re Druze. That’s our religion.” We consider Yitro to be our prophet. We are who we are.
When I studied at the Technion, a Muslim student once asked me, “Who is this Yitro of yours?” Now, I identify as very secular and I’m not religious at all, but that comment really bothered me. “What kind of question is that?” I replied. “Do I ever ask you about your prophet? Do I even care who your prophet is?” I firmly believe that everyone should believe in whatever religion he wants and follow in its ways—as long as he doesn’t hurt anyone else. What I can’t understand is how these terrorists profess to believe in G-d, Whom they refer to as the Merciful One. G-d is all-powerful and created the entire world and everything in it. Do they really think He’s waiting for them to come along and kill whomever they consider nonbelievers? Personally, I believe that there are good people in every religion. I’ve helped people of all religions, and I’ve been helped by people of all types. By the same token, every religion has adherents who aren’t so good. I try to live as best as I can and to be the best person I can be.
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