Israeli “Druze” Officers Gave Their Lives For the ‘Love Of the People’
There is a certain group of people of which very little is known. But in light of the recent terror attack on the Temple Mount, which took the lives of two Israel Police officers, I believe that it is time for the Jewish people to recognize and give thanks to the Druze people.
They are well known in Israel, but not so much in the rest of the world. There are many Druze soldiers in the IDF. They passionately love the nation of Israel.
From timesofisrael.com
‘Their pain is our pain, their grief is our grief,’ says Roni Alsheich
Families, friends mourn ‘beloved’ officers killed in Temple Mount attack
Haiel Sitawe, 30, was not supposed to be on patrol Friday, filled in for friend, police chief reveals at funeral; thousands attend funeral for Kamil Shnaan, 22, son of former Labor MKsraeli Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan speaks at the funeral of Israeli Druze police officer Kamil Shnaan in the northern village of Hurfeish, July 14, 2017. (Basel Awidat/Flash90). Inset: Master Sgt. Shnaan, left, and Master Sgt. Haeil Sitawe, right, the police officers killed in the terror attack next to the Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem on July 14, 2017. (Israel Police)
The two Israeli Druze police officers killed in a shooting attack at the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem were laid to rest in separate funerals in their respective northern villages on Friday evening.
Haiel Sitawe, 30 was buried in the town of Maghar, a mostly Druze and Arab city in northern Israel, Friday afternoon. Sergeant Master Kamil Shnaan, 22, was laid to rest in the Druze village of Hurfeish, also in northern Israel.
Sitawe joined the Border Police as part of his mandatory national service. He joined the Israel Police in 2012 and had served in the unit responsible for securing the Temple Mount ever since. He leaves behind a wife, Irin, a three-week-old son, his parents and three brothers.
Shnaan joined the police directly after high school. He decided to stay on the police force seven months ago, signing on as a career officer. He was the youngest son of a former Labor Party Knesset member, Shachiv Shnaan. His engagement party to his girlfriend was to be held next week.
Shnaan leaves behind his parents, one brother and three sisters.
Speaking at Sitawe’s funeral, Police Chief Roni Alsheich hailed the officer as “beloved” among his peers.
“Today you went out as head of a patrol, you weren’t even supposed to be this patrol where you found your death but a friend asked for your help and you immediately responded. This is who you were — a true friend…” he said.
“Your friends cannot process the fact that you are no longer alive…. Members of the family, they don’t have the words to describe the pain. Their pain is our pain, their grief is our grief… We embrace you and promise you that you will never walk alone,” he said to the families.
Family and friends carry the coffin of Israeli Druze police officer Haiel Sitawe, 30, during his funeral in the northern village of Maghar, July 14, 2017. Haiel Sitawe and Kamil Shnaan where killed early on Friday in a shooting attack near the Temple Mount complex in the Old City of Jerusalem. (Basel Awidat/Flash90)
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan also spoke at the funeral, saying of Sitawe that in his courageous actions, he saved many lives.
At Shnaan’s funeral later in the afternoon, his father told media he raised his son to “love the country, love the life, love the people.”
He said his son’s death marked a “moment where we thank God for everything he has given us, 22 years.” After a brief pause marked by grief, he said his son was no longer with us and “pray that he is the last victim [of terror] and that people understand that enough is enough.”
Thousands attended the procession.
Alsheich, who also spoke at Shnaan’s funeral, said he too was “loved by everyone,” adding that the two “died defending Jerusalem.”
The police chief said “great grief has descended…on the State of Israel.”
The attack in which Sitawe and Shnaan were killed began just after 7:00 a.m. Friday morning when three Israeli-Arab terrorists opened fire at the paid of officers in an alleyway outside the Temple Mount complex.
The two were critically injured in the attack, later succumbing to their wounds.- source
A personal story
When I was a very young woman, living in Washington, D.C., I met a young man who was from Lebanon. We became friends, but during the time we knew one another, I always wondered why he and his brother spoke fondly of my people. They both knew that I was from a Jewish home, and I sensed a love for my people from both of them.
I would ask them why they were not hostile towards me. They would just smile and say that they supported my people. They told me that they were Druze. I had never heard of this religion and they were not willing to talk about it. They did tell me that it was a very secretive religion. When I moved away from the city, I lost touch with my friend.
A few years ago, I looked up “Druze” online to find out what I could about this secretive religion. I found that they were a sect of Islam, but that they loved the Jewish people. I found out that many enlisted in the IDF.
At last I knew why my friend felt such warmth towards me and my people. I think that one of the main reasons why they were so secretive is because most of the Islamic world probably hates them for loving the Jewish people.
When I read the story of the two Israeli Druze police officers, I wept. These people hold a special place in my heart – forever.
Pray for their families during this incredibly sad time for them. Pray that many will meet Yeshua and will be saved.
Shalom b’Yeshua
MARANATHA
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