Jewish groups rally behind Australian Druze
Rabih Badran said Australia should stand in solidarity with international allies such as the US and Israel.
Australia’s Jewish community has rallied behind the Australian Druze community following the past week’s massacres in Syria, with peak Jewish organisations calling for government action.
The Zionist Federation of Australia has written to the Australian Druze community, with CEO Alon Cassuto expressing strong solidarity.
“The Druze have long stood shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish people, particularly in Israel, united by shared values of dignity, loyalty and peaceful coexistence,” Cassuto said. “In this painful moment, our Druze brothers and sisters should know they are not alone. We stand beside them.”
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) has joined the Australian Druze community’s call for the Australian government to strongly condemn the Syrian government’s involvement in the massacres.
AIJAC executive director Colin Rubenstein said the organisation also calls for Australia to welcome Israel’s intervention, “given it was the only country that actively sought to protect the Druze of Syria”.
“We offer our sincere commiserations to the Australian Druze community over the barbarity inflicted upon their Syrian brethren and are proud of the way that Israel intervened in order to try and stop it.”
The support comes as the Australian Druze community has called on Parliament and Foreign Minister Penny Wong to formally condemn the Syrian regime’s actions in Sweida, including the killing and forced displacement of innocent Druze civilians.
Writing on behalf of the Australian Druze community, Rabih Badran said Australia should stand in solidarity with international allies such as the US and Israel and call for global accountability through relevant multilateral forums.
“Australia has a proud history of speaking out against injustice and defending the rights of vulnerable peoples around the world.
“We, the Australian Druze community, implore our leaders to stand up for these values once again and send a strong message that the world will not ignore such atrocities,” Badran said. The community is seeking emergency humanitarian aid and wants Australia to raise the crisis internationally.
There has been no evidence of public statements, protests, or organised responses from Australian pro-Palestinian groups addressing the massacres of Druze.
There are around 4000 Druze living in Australia, with 800,000 in Syria, a quarter of a million in Lebanon and 150,00 in Israel.