Druze Spiritual Leader Clarifies Remarks After Video With Netanyahu Sparks Debate
Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif clarified that his praise for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding actions in Syria does not constitute an election endorsement.
With the 26th Knesset elections approaching, a video featuring Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif praising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked intense political debate and internal community controversy.
The Video and Political Fallout
In the widely circulated video, filmed shortly after Netanyahu met with Druze leaders in Yirka, Sheikh Tarif commended the prime minister for his decisive intervention to stop the massacre of Druze in southern Syria last July. Tarif credited Netanyahu's authorization of military strikes near Damascus with saving countless lives, calling it a historic and existential turning point.
However, the timing of the release—just days ahead of the October 27 vote and amid an ongoing election campaign—led Likud activists to frame the footage as an endorsement of Netanyahu. This prompted swift backlash from within the Druze community, where grievances persist over domestic civil issues such as the Nation-State Law, the Kaminitz Law, and severe planning and zoning restrictions in Druze localities.
Call for Neutrality and Clarification
Prominent community figures, including Daliyat al-Karmel local council head Rafik Halabi, publicly urged the spiritual leadership to remain non-partisan. Halabi called on Tarif to clarify his stance and criticized political operatives for attempting to exploit the video for electoral gain.
The only state and the only people that stood by the Druze were the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
Following the criticism, Tarif's office issued a formal clarification emphasizing that his remarks expressed longstanding gratitude to the state rather than political support for any party. The statement reiterated that the spiritual leadership remains strictly neutral in the upcoming Knesset elections, leaving individual voting decisions to the conscience of each community member.
