Druze in Israel during the early 20th century

The Druze Community in the British Mandate Era and the Road to Integration

Druze sheikhs photographed during the early years of the British Mandate in the Land of Israel, 1920.

Under British rule (1920–1948), the region was undergoing deep political and social transformation following the end of the Ottoman Empire and World War I. The Mandate period would ultimately conclude in 1948 with the end of British administration and the establishment of the State of Israel.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Druze community in the Land of Israel remained a small, rural, and traditionally rooted minority, mainly based in the Galilee and Mount Carmel. In contrast to wider regional currents, they largely stayed outside the Arab nationalist revolts and the escalating Arab-Jewish conflict, maintaining a cautious neutrality during much of this period.

From the 1930s onward, limited ties began to develop between parts of the Druze leadership and the Jewish Yishuv. These early connections later evolved into cooperation that continued beyond the Mandate, with Druze volunteers participating in the 1948 war and shaping the beginnings of a long-term relationship with the State of Israel.

Today, the Druze community is an integral part of Israeli society, with strong participation in public life and notably high levels of service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

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📷 Source: National Photo Collection of Israel, Government Press Office (GPO), Digital ID D220-086