Palestinian Druze were people inMandatory Palestine who belonged to theDruzeethnoreligious group.[1][2] During the first census of the British mandate, Druze were one of eight religious demographic groups who were categorized.[3] The sense of a distinct identity among Druze began to increase in the 1930s when some other Arab citizens viewed them as being neutral during ethnic contentions.[4] During the early 20th century, many authors depicted the Druze as neutral during the clashes that happened between Jews and non-Jewish Arabs in the 1920s and 1930s. This perception eventually culminated in Israeli leadership approaching the Druze who were in leadership positions and offering them a treaty of non-aggression, leading to somewhat tranquil relations between the two.[5]
During theBritish Mandate for Palestine, the Druze did not embrace the risingArab nationalism of the time or participate in violent resistance to colonialism. In 1948, many Druze volunteered for the Israeli army and no Druze villages were destroyed or abandoned in Palestine at that time.[6] Since the establishment of the Israeli state, the Druze have demonstrated solidarity with Israel and distanced themselves from Arab and Islamic anti-occupation movements. However still most Druze support Palestine as the majority identify themselves as Arabs.[7] Some Israeli Druze citizens serve in theIsrael Defense Forces.[8]
The1922 census recorded 7,028 Druze, mostly living in the Sub-Districts of Acre, Haifa, Tiberias and Safed.[9] By the time of the1931 census, this number had risen to 9,148 persons.[10] The 1945–1946Survey of Palestine estimated that about 13,000 Druze lived in Palestine at that time.[11]
| village | 1922 census | 1931 census |
|---|---|---|
| Daliyat al-Karmel | 921 | 1154 |
| Yirka | 937 | 1138 |
| Beit Jann | 895 | 1099 |
| Maghar | 676 | 877 |
| Isfiya | 590 | 742 |
| Julis | 442 | 586 |
| Shefa-Amr | 402 | 496 |
| Hurfeish | 386 | 474 |
| El Buqei'a | 304 | 412 |
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