A girl was wounded on Friday evening by a bullet when gunshots were fired into the air during celebrations held by Druze residents at the shrine of Nabi Shu’ayb in Tiberias.
The incident occurred shortly after some 100Druze sheikhs crossed into Israeli territory from Syria earlier that morning following Israel’s approval of a historic visit to the shrine. Thousands reportedly gathered at the celebrations.
The sheikhs, mostly from the village of Hader in southern Syria, arrived by buses at the border gate, where they were greeted by their Israeli brethren, waving the Druze flag. A singing crowd of local Druze welcomed the sheikh delegation as they arrived in the Galilee region.
The wounded girl is a resident of Kfar Zeitim, near Tiberias.
The cultural significance of Nabi Shu'ayb
Israel approved the entry of Syrian Druze sheikhs into Israel to take part in the annual pilgrimage to Nabi Shu’ayb’s shrine, where, according to Druze tradition, the prophet Shu’ayb is buried.
Nabi Shu’ayb was an ancient Midianite prophet and the most revered prophet in the Druze faith. In English, the shrine is referred to as Jethro’s Tomb due to Shu’ayb being historically identified as Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses.
During their visit, the group metSheikh Mowafaq Tarif, spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel. The sheikh delegation presented Tarif with a plaque and a sword used in the Druze community’s traditional sword dances.
The sheikhs’ visit comes amid recent Israeli overtures to the Druze community of southern Syria. On Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israel intends to allow Syrian Druze and Circassians to work on the Israeli side of theGolan Heights.
Katz credited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for facilitating the move. Israel would protect the Syrian Druze community from threats by the new regime in Syria, led by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, he said.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.