On Friday, the IDF Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi, visited the tomb of Sheikh Amin Tarif in the village of Julis as well as the Al-Batuf local council.

His visit was in honor of the Feast of Sacrifice which will take place next week in both communities.

Accompanying the Chief of the General Staff’s visit to the Julis village was the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, MG Ghassan Alian.

The commanders held a meeting with the senior members of the Druze community, led by spiritual leader Sheikh Mawafek Tarif at the Junis local council.

Later in the visit, the IDF commanders met with the heads of the Bedouin community at the Al-Batuf academic campus.

The meetings were attended by IDF commanders from both the Bedouin and Druze communities of Israel. During the meetings, a dialogue was held regarding the integration of minority populations into the IDF. The conversation dealt with ways of encouraging meaningful service and elevating the value of service and mission.

"The Israel Defense Forces is a unique place, there is nothing similar to it. With professionalism, values ​​and statehood - we serve in meaningful organization important to the mission of the State of Israel,” said Kohavi.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)

“We, the people of this country, will continue to fight shoulder to shoulder, Bedouins, Druze and other ethnic groups in order to protect the civilians of this country. On this occasion, I thank you for your cooperation and wish you all a Happy holiday."

Sheikh Mawafek Tarif, spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, said, "I would like to thank you, the Chief of the General Staff. On your previous visit we raised a number of issues that needed to be addressed. You dealt with them personally and we see the progress already being made on these issues. We are aware of the importance of enlisting into the IDF and are happy about the opportunity that has been given to us."