IDF Holds Ceremony to Mark Closure of 'Herev' Battalion

The IDF held a ceremony tonight (Sunday) to mark the end of the Herev Battalion.

Herev, popularly known as the "Druze Battalion," was created to have a unit for Druze, Bedouins, Circassians, and other minorities. Recently leaders of the minority communities requested that it be shut down in order to better integrate minority soldiers throughout the IDF.

During the ceremony Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (Likud) spoke and emphasized the centrality of Israel's minorities in its makeup. "The alliance with the Druze is unbreakable," he said.