The spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, Hikmat al-Hijri, stated that there is no accord or agreement with the existing government in Damascus.
Al-Hijri, in a conversation with social activists in As-Suwayda today, Thursday, March 13, considered the interim Syrian government to be a “radical government in every sense of the word, and it is wanted by international justice, and any leniency regarding this matter is unacceptable for us as Syrians.”
He said, “We are in a stage of either being or not being, and we are working for our interests as a community, and every community is rich in its men and cadres, and with this correct national heritage.”
He added, “We will proceed in this stage and in this atmosphere, but the constants remain; 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’s statements, which activists have circulated in video recordings through social media, come amid a divide in the As-Suwayda street regarding the government in Damascus.
Previously, factions from As-Suwayda, led by the Men of Dignity Movement, reached an agreement with Damascus and began implementing it in the province.
The spokesperson for the Men of Dignity Movement, which is the largest military faction in As-Suwayda, Bassem Abu Fakhr, told Enab Baladi that the Syrian Interior Ministry activated the General Security Forces activities in the province, with local personnel from the province itself.
The movement stated in a statement that the entry of General Security into the province took place in coordination between the Men of Dignity Movement, Madafat al-Karama (The Dignity Guest House) and Ahrar Jabal al-Arab Gathering, on one side, and the Ministry of Interior on the other.
Israel is attempting to woo the Druze community in Syria through the statements of its officials, as members of the Druze community stated that a group of 100 prominent figures from the community is expected to visit the occupied Golan Heights, in a gesture of support from Israel for the “Druze minority.”
Al-Hijri’s current statements contradict his recent moves just days prior, when he signed an understanding agreement with the As-Suwayda governor to resolve the province’s issues, published on March 12.
The As-Suwayda governorate stated that the understanding agreement was agreed upon by the attendees and included an agreement to activate the judicial authority and enhance the police and security file within the Interior Ministry, to organize defected officers and individuals and all armed factions in the Ministry of Defense, in addition to paying overdue salaries to employees and reconsidering the status of those dismissed from work before December 8, 2024.
The agreement also included the financial and administrative reform of government institutions, expediting the appointment of members of the temporary executive office to address the needs of employees, while emphasizing the maintenance of civil peace and preventing violations of public and private property.
The terms included the removal of encroachments on state property according to a planned strategy and finding alternatives, in addition to designating the former Baath party building as the main headquarters for the university in the province.
The agreement took place during an organizational and administrative meeting held at the residence of the spiritual leadership of the Druze community in al-Qanawat, with the participation of several members who represented As-Suwayda during the National Dialogue Conference, where the current conditions of As-Suwayda were discussed.