Druze residents of the Masada village in the Golan Heights waved Syrian flags during a rally marking Syria’s Independence Day on April 17, 2017. Hundreds of Druze in the Golan Heights marched in commemoration carrying portraits of President Bashar al-Assad and chanting anti-Israel slogans. “God save Syria!” they shouted as they rallied in the town of Masada. “Down with the occupation!”
The vast majority of Golan Druze have retained Syrian nationality, despite the Israeli offe...r to acquire Israeli citizenship. The civil war which has ravaged their homeland for the past six years is reflected in local divisions, with Masada opponents of the Assad regime refusing to march behind his picture. But both sides are united in their opposition to what they term the Israeli occupation, residents told AFP. “We retain our Syrian identity and follow the path of national resistance,” said Nasser Ibrahim, one of the organizers of the march.
