Publication

This brief discusses the threat posed by Jabhat Al Nusra jihadists to the Druze community in Syria and the dilemma this raises for Israel's non-intervention policy towards the ongoing civil war in Syria. The author contends that Israel has two choices: break with its policy by arming the Druze - an offshoot of Islam widely viewed as heretics by orthodox Sunnis - to enable them to fend off a jihadi attack, or brace itself for a stream of Syrian Druze refugees and moral culpability for the possible massacre of large numbers because of their religious beliefs.