Lebanese Druze leader and the former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Jumblatt, on Sunday, cautioned Syrian peers against falling under foreign influence, urging them to preserve their "Arab identity" and resist Israeli overtures.
“Stand firm against the occupation of Arab lands in the Syrian Golan,” Jumblatt said during a speech marking the 48th anniversary of his father Kamal Jumblatt’s assassination by agents of the now-toppled Assad regime.
He warned against Zionist intellectual infiltration, which he said seeks to redefine Druze identity as an ethnicity rather than part of the broader Arab and Islamic heritage. He also cautioned against being used as a tool to divide Syria and the region, reiterating that his father had opposed the so-called alliance of minorities, a stance that ultimately led to his assassination.
His remarks followed an unprecedented event on Friday when nearly 100 Syrian Druze crossed into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights for the first time in decades. Traveling in three buses under Israeli military escort, they visited a religious shrine on the Israeli side of the border.
Speaking at the 48th anniversary of the assassination of his father, Kamal Jumblatt, Walid Jumblatt welcomed the recent arrest of Ibrahim Huweija – the man accused of his father’s killing – by Syrian authorities. He described the development as “historical justice taking its course, albeit after a long time.”
The ceremony in Moukhtara, a Jumblatt stronghold, marked a shift as Walid Jumblatt announced it would be the last. For 48 years, PSP members gathered on March 16 to honor Kamal Jumblatt, assassinated in 1977. Jumblatt emphasized the need to move forward, focusing on new political challenges and the party’s commitment to humanitarian socialism.
Jumblatt also addressed regional developments, calling for an end to Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon and the establishment of internationally recognized borders to protect national sovereignty. He emphasized the need for reconstruction efforts in the south and other war-torn areas, advocating for a structured approach involving Arab and international partners.
Turning to Lebanon’s relations with Syria, Jumblatt called for a fresh framework based on mutual respect. He stressed the importance of defining land and maritime borders between the two countries, supporting Palestinian rights – particularly the two-state solution – and reaffirming the Palestinian right of return.
