Field Tour – Druze Participation in First Municipal Elections Golan Heights – Oct. 23 at 8am

Israeli municipalities and regional councils are preparing for local elections on October 30. For the first time, four villages in the Golan Heights (Majdal Shams, Buka’ata, Ein Qinya and Masadeh) will elect their own mayors. Since 1967, mayors of those towns were appointed by the state.

According to a recent survey, out of 26,000 Druze residents in the Golan Heights, only 12 percent hold Israeli citizenship. The participation in the upcoming election is expected to be low due to political and religious pressure from religious leaders and political activists. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967. The government extended Israeli law to the Golan Heights in 1981, effectively annexing it.

The tour will include meeting with different speakers and will focus on Druze participation in the upcoming elections, and the challenges and risks they face in determining the future of the Golan Heights.

Bus will depart from MediaCentral Offices, 7 Harav Kook St. at 8am sharp