Druze community leaders in Israel wrote a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, asking him to put an end to the development of a wind farm in the Golan Heights.
The initiative is seen as an invasion of their territory by the Druze people. Following two days of violent rallies that on Wednesday resulted in 27 injuries, five of them critically, in conflicts between police and locals, protests against the project will continue unless their demands are granted.
Police personnel made up 17 of the injured. Six demonstrators were detained; their court appearance was scheduled for Thursday.
The Druze leaders stated, “In the state of affairs that has arisen, the heads of the Druze community see it fit that an immediate freeze of the work and the exit of police forces from the construction site be ordered until the end of Eid al-Adha,” referring to the holiday celebrated by Druze and Muslims that this year runs from June 27 to July 1.
They stated, “We expect the government to respond positively to our request and to grant the community members the right to observe the holiday time in peace and tranquility.
The letter was also written to Tzachi Hanegbi, the chair of the National Security Council, and national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
It came after an urgent gathering of Druze leaders that took place overnight between Wednesday and Thursday in Kafr Yasif, in the Western Galilee.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu had a meeting with Shaykh Mowafaq, the Druze community’s imam.
The Director of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, as well as other top officials, joined them.
There are times when it is necessary to proclaim the obvious: Israel is a nation of laws. Every Israeli citizen has a duty to uphold the law, according to a statement released by Netanyahu after the meeting.
“We won’t tolerate unrest anywhere, not in Judea and Samaria, nor on the Golan Heights.
“I fully support the security forces and Israel Police in their efforts to uphold law and order. In these locations or anywhere else, we will not tolerate any provocations by the security or law enforcement personnel.
The prime minister declared, “We are a nation of laws. Tarif said that the work had been temporarily halted on Thursday.
The rioting had not broken out as of Thursday afternoon, according to Israeli media, although work had resumed on Thursday.
According to the Israel Police, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai did not suggest a work halt until after the vacation.
Contrary to false reports, the Israel Police did not direct the halting of the building of the wind turbines in the Golan Heights.
It was claimed that Itamar Ben-Gvir, minister of national security, will meet with Druze leaders in July and oppose the project’s suspension.
The $350 million Genesis Wind project, which will comprise 38 cutting-edge wind turbines, is scheduled to commence construction in June, according to an announcement from Enlight Renewable Energy.
If the project is not restarted, the corporation has vowed to sue the state for billions of dollars.
The corporation claimed that all of the locals were harmed by the rebel leaders’ violent and illegal behavior.
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