Hikmat Al-Hijri said there was no chance of agreement with what he called the ‘radical’ government in Damascus [Getty]
The spiritual leader of the Syrian Druze community, Hikmat al-Hijri has rejected an agreement to integrate local entities into state institutions and criticised what he called the “radical” interim government.
Hijri’s comments were made public in a video that was circulated online by activists and follows the implementation of a new transitional constitution for Syria.
Hijri and sections of the Druze community have been highly critical of the new government in Syria and seek to maintain their autonomy from the state.
“There is no understanding or agreement with the existing government in Damascus, which is a radical government in every sense of the word,” al-Hijri told a gathering in Suweida on Thursday.
“It is wanted by international justice, and any leniency regarding this matter is unacceptable for us as Syrians,” he continued.
The Men of Dignity movement – the largest Druze military faction – this week signed an agreement that would see its security forces come under the command of the interior ministry authority and would allow the central government to appoint a governor for Suweida province.
The Druze community has been divided over how it should respond to Assad’s ouster and the coming to power of the now disbanded Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Some leaders have engaged with the new authorities and held talks with the interim president and former HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa about reintegrating into state institutions.
Other factions have remained distrustful of members of the new government, some of whom have their roots in militant Islamism.
Al-Sharaa has sought to dispel fears of Sunni sectarian governance, saying his administration will protect and represent the country’s religious and ethnic minorities.
Events on the coast last week, where hundreds of civilians were reportedly killed in sectarian violence committed by government forces, will likely have done little to quell fears.
All of this comes as Israel continues to position itself as a “protector” of the Druze community and foster separatism in Suweida, something rejected by the vast majority of Druze.
Israeli officials have accused members of Syria’s new government of being “terrorists” and have publicly called for the break-up of the Syrian state, sparking protests across Syria, while carrying out regular airstrikes on Syria and invading areas near the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Israel has claimed it will protect the Druze from government forces and invited members of the community to work in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
On Friday, Druze clerics visited the Golan Heights, making a pilgrimage to a site in the Galilee for the first since the creation of Israel in 1948.
Turkish officials in Damascus following Kurdish deal
Top Turkish officials made an unexpected visit to Damascus on Thursday following an important few days that have seen the interim government issue a constitutional declaration and reach an agreement with Kurdish forces to integrate into state institutions.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin were all in the Syrian capital for talks with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and other Syrian officials.
The Turkish defence ministry announced the visit without providing further information.
The visit came hours after Al-Sharaa signed a temporary constitutional declaration laying out a five-year political transition and the rights of women and freedom of expression.
It also followed a breakthrough in negotiations with Kurdish forces in the country’s north-east, which agreed to integrate into all civilian and military institutions.
