Syria, Israel and the Druze

It's 9:25 AM on Thursday morning in Albany and I am contemplating my YouTube Watch Later playlist. I've accumulated three videos since reaching "YouTube Zero" on Tuesday evening, as you can see in the screenshot above. I am experiencing considerable pressure to spend another 80 minutes listening to Dan Senor and Ron Dermer, but the strategic significance of NATO defense spending is also pressing. Is there anything else on YouTube that needs my attention? 

I conduct a targeted YouTube search on "Syria," scan the headlines of the top videos, and then take a look at my YouTube homepage. This is a mistake. I don't see anything under breaking news that requires my attention, but I do see four music-related videos that I cannot help but add to Watch Later. Finally, I search for the Rabbi Sacks talk on this week's Torah portion and add that to my Watch Later playlist, too. At this point I am starting to get overwhelmed by my list. I do some walking meditation in my room, then decide it is best if I get outside for a 40-minute walk.

As I begin my walk, I am planning to listen to the rest of the Ron Dermer interview, but as soon as I open the YouTube application on my smartphone, I am greeted by Episode 29 of Ask Haviv Anything. It's titled "Can Israel make peace with Jolani? A conversation with Druze activist Rania Fadel Dean." This is exactly the question I have in mind about Syria, so I decide to listen to this on my walk, instead of the Ron Dermer interview.    

Once I get back to the house from the walk and fix myself a light lunch, it is time to do a little follow-up research on Google. I note the following:

• Suwayda | Wikipedia 
• Benjamin Netanyahu confirms Israeli ceasefire with Syria amid Sweida fighting | The Jerusalem Post 
• Ceasefire in southern Syria achieved by force — Netanyahu | TASS

When I realize there is another Middle East UN Security Council meeting scheduled at 3 PM, presumably about Syria, I decide to take a nap so that I can be prepared to observe it. 

I wake again at 2 PM. It takes me an hour to update this blog entry, fix myself a cup of herbal tea, and delete everything from my YouTube Watch Later playlist except the teaching on this week's Torah portion by Rabbi Sacks. It's a challenge for me to isolate what's most important, but I am determined to stay more focused. 

From 3 to 5 PM, I listen to The Situation in the Middle East - Security Council, 9960th Meeting | UN Web TV. Then I fall asleep yet again, for a little over an hour, before eating a basic dinner and taking my evening medications. Now it is 6:49 PM, and I don't have any special insights about Syria, Israel, and the Druze to share, except for mild surprise that, according to Dorothy Shea, the USA did not support Israel's R2P strikes on Syria.

Okay, I see there is some debate about this. I ask Google Gemini, "If Israel is not bombing Syria to protect the Druze, then why?" Gemini responds:

While Israel claims its strikes in Syria are intended to protect the Druze minority, many analysts believe there are other, more significant factors driving the attacks, including expanding Israel's military presence in Syria, preventing hostile forces from gaining ground near its borders, and potentially achieving political gains for the Israeli government. 

I guess I tend to disagree with the analysts, in the sense that these must be secondary and tertiary issues, not primary issues, because there is no evidence Israel would have ever done anything like strike the Syrian Defense Ministry unless this was a massacre being carried out against defenseless Druze in southern Syria by a repeat offender of Islamist mass atrocities hiding under a suit in Damascus. We have to remember that MBS backs Jolani, and encouraged Trump to back Jolani, and that Netanyahu thus has every reason to want things to work out well between Israel and Jolani. It's not like Israel is hoping for Jolani to turn out bad. These analysts seem to be downplaying all of the reasons why Netanyahu wouldn't want escalation in Syria.

Here is another question for Google Gemini: "Has HTS carried out mass atrocities against Alawites, Christians and Druze in Syria?" Gemini responds:

Numerous reports from human rights organizations and news outlets indicate that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist group currently leading the interim government in Syria, and its affiliated groups, have carried out mass atrocities and other abuses against religious minorities in the country, including Alawites, Christians, and Druze. These atrocities appear to have escalated significantly since HTS and its allies overthrew the Assad regime in December 2024. 

It sounds like the members of the UN Security Council have two choices. They can shine the spotlight on Jolani, HTS, and evidence of mass atrocities in Syria, and thank Israel for the R2P, or they can protect their bets on Jolani and blame Netanyahu for wanton interstate violence. Which is more likely, given all that we have learned about antisemitism so far during Armageddon?

Final question for Google Gemini on this issue tonight: "Who is leading the drafting of a new Syrian constitution?" Gemini responds:

Syria's interim President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, signed a new "constitutional declaration" in March 2025, which serves as an interim constitution for a transitional period of five years. This declaration was drafted by a seven-member committee of legal experts, which included two women. The committee was formed at the direction of al-Sharaa in March 2025. 

While this temporary declaration is now in effect, the goal is to draft and adopt a permanent constitution and hold elections within this five-year transitional period. The details of how this permanent constitution will be drafted and the leadership of that process are not yet fully clear. 

It's important to note that the constitutional declaration and the drafting process have faced criticism regarding the concentration of power in the executive branch and concerns about the inclusivity of the process, particularly concerning the representation of different ethnic and sectarian groups and civil society organizations. 

My prayer is that Syria and Israel will find their way forward to mutual peace, prosperity, and normalization. Here, let's close with a short Druze jam from along the Syrian border:

Shalom.