Israel-Druze row plays out in the Dominican Republic: Haaretz

Santo Domingo.- Bahij Mansour, Jerusalem’s envoy to Dominican Republic says the Jewish nation-state bill sends a clear message to the Druze of Israel: You are not our allies, Haaretz.com reports.

“As a diplomat and Israel’s ambassador to the Dominican Republic and as a reserve officer in the Israel Defense Forces I am shocked at the conduct of Israel’s government on the topic of the proposed nation-state bill,” Mansour said, quoted by Haaretz.

The diplomat, in a statement, said Israel celebrated its 66th Independence Day last May, years during which the Druze community struggled and strived for full equality and for full integration into Israeli society. “Now, the government intends to pass a bill that would ignore the existence of our community and its contributions and sacrifices towards the vision of establishing the nation-state of the Jewish people as a Jewish, democratic and equitable state.”

“I see the shameful conduct accompanying the ratification of this law and ask myself if the initiators of this bill remember the last two victims of the Druze community, Zeidan Seif and Jidan Assad, blessed be their memories, who risked and sacrificed their lives in order to protect Israeli citizens, including worshippers at a synagogue,” said Mansour, the first Druze diplomat to serve in the Dominican Republic.