
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday visited the Tomb of Jethro in honor of the Druze festival of Ziyarat al-Nabi Shu'ayb.
At the start of the event, President Herzog was welcomed by Shaykh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel.
Also attending were Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar (New Hope), Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White), opposition leader MK Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud), Internal Security Minister Omer Barlev (Labor), Welfare Minister Meir Cohen (Yesh Atid), Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej (Meretz), Minister in the Finance Ministry Hamad Amar (Yisrael Beytenu), Deputy Minister in the PMO Abir Kara (Yamina), MK Mansour Abbas (United Arab List), Greek Catholic Archbishop Youssef Mata, the ambassadors of Russia, Italy, and Kosovo in Israel, and Druze community dignitaries.
President Herzog greeted those present with the traditional Arabic salutation of “Ziyara Makboula” (“May your pilgrimage be accepted”) and said: “This important holiday, my dear Druze friends and brethren, is also the holiday of the whole State of Israel. This occasion represents an important occasion for all of us to salute your mighty contribution to our state and society, as together we lay further foundations for the strengthening of this covenant.”
“I am glad to be here with you, on an occasion of great significance for me, out of appreciation for the strength of the Druze community and great respect for this important holiday and what it symbolizes. I have come here today, first and foremost, in order to thank you. I extend not only my personal thanks but also the thanks of all citizens of the State of Israel. Thank you for your nobility of spirit and devotion. Thank you for your exemplary values, which inspire us all. Thank you for your true partnership, for standing firm for so many years, and for your mighty contributions to our society and state.
“For many years, the Druze community has been not only a full partner in the defense and building of this land, but also a bridge to our neighbors, near and far, in the Arab world. This is the important mission of members of the community: not only as warriors on the battlefield, but also, and most importantly, in all walks of life, including in the fields of politics and society.
“The Druze community does not stand still for a moment, and thus, besides its commitment to its values and wonderful heritage, we proudly bear witness to the impressive achievements of members of the community, who are increasingly serving in key positions: in academia, in the public health system, in hi-tech, in the legal world, in Israel’s security system and foreign service, and also in the worlds of culture, art, music, and employment. I believe that if we stick to this path, many generations of the Druze community will continue and lead the State of Israel to places that perhaps we can only dream of nowadays, of course without ceasing to preserve the exemplary Druze values that we so dearly need as a society and a state.”
President Herzog continued: “Next week, we shall all mark two important national dates: Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers) and the 74th Independence Day of the State of Israel. Both of these occasions emphasize, each in its own way, the deeply Israeli partnership in which you play such a central and main role. You are our partners in joy and in grief. Both in the pain of bereavement, pain for our loved ones, killed defending the state, and also when we raise the flag once more to the top of the flagpole and launch our Independence Day celebrations. There too, we shall all be together, side by side, Druze and Jews, Muslims and Christians, as one. You are full partners in the state’s achievements and its prosperity.”
“The covenant between us is a covenant of life—a covenant that rests on mutual respect, on shared fate, and if I might emphasize on a personal note, also on great love and admiration.”
President Herzog concluded by saying: “On this holiday, we pay tribute to the extraordinary figure of Nabi Shu’ayb, the Prophet Jethro, who gave the wisest advice to Moses, the father of all prophets and emissary of God. He was an example and symbol of leadership and values, who has been with us since the dawn of our nationhood. Together with you, I pray to our God in Heaven that He may bring blessings and favor to the daughters and sons of the Druze community, our sisters and brothers—blessings of success, happiness, prosperity, and good health, love and fraternity! Ziyara Makboula!”
Shaykh Mowafaq Tarif said: “We welcome the guests who have come from all over, from all parts of this land. I am happy to see, among the guests who have come to congratulate us, our dear President, ministers, religious leaders, members of Knesset, mayors and local authority heads, citizens and residents from the whole mosaic of the State of Israel. This is a happy and exciting moment in the context of the past month, in which Israel has experienced terror attacks and painful events that claimed the lives of innocents. This is an opportunity to give strength to the security forces, who are working on this around the clock. This is a mission in which members of the Druze community also bear the burden with their heads held high and their backs straight.”