For the first time since 1992, an independent Druze party will run in national elections. With hundreds of Druze community members, religious dignitaries and reserve officers in attendance, the establishment of the "Brit Achim" (Alliance of Brothers) party was announced Monday, along with its intention to run in elections for the next Knesset.
Behind the independent political initiative, the first of its kind in Druze society in more than three decades, is former commander of the Druze battalion and former head of the IDF’s Population Administration, Col. (res.) Wajdi Sarhan.
At the event announcing the party’s establishment, held Monday afternoon in the northern city of Maghar, Sarhan declared that “this is not another attempt to integrate into an existing slate in exchange for a reserved realistic spot; this is a declaration of an independent political force that intends to bring, according to estimates, between two and two and a half seats to the ballot box and become the next kingmaker in the Knesset.”
“The time has come to change the equation,” Sarhan told ynet, surrounded by local authority heads and representatives from all Druze villages in the Galilee. “To stop scattering and unite into an independent force that influences the agenda. I am moved and filled with a sense of sanctity as I stand here today.”
Alliance of Brothers officials say the party’s establishment is the product of a two-year in-depth process, during which dozens of parlor meetings were held across the country. In the Druze community, there is a growing sense that the old model — sending representatives to the large parties — was a failure. The main claim heard at the event in Maghar was that those representatives were bound by factional discipline and failed to provide answers to the community’s urgent needs on land, planning and construction, as well as rights.
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Hundreds of Druze citizens of Israel attended the party's kickoff event
(Photo: Kenan Henew)
Among those in the audience were Sheikh Antir Maadi, Maghar Mayor Taier Kizel and Yarka Council head Wa’ad Shanan, who also serves as director general of the Druze Religious Council. The presence of senior reserve officers was no coincidence: Sarhan himself is considered one of the most respected officers in the community, and in the Second Lebanon War commanded forces that were among the first to enter Lebanese territory and among the last to leave.
“This time we are asking for everything," Sarhan said in his speech. "This time we are taking responsibility for our future, for our lands and for our family. For years we waited for others to take care of us, but today we understand that it depends only on us. It is ours — and it is our responsibility. And today, as one bloc and together, we are deciding to go inside in order to change from within and lead.”
Sarhan did not spare criticism of the political reality of recent years. “Over the years, we have been accompanied by a painful feeling — full partnership in duties, but a lack of justice and rights,” he said. “Our contribution to the state is an ironclad asset, but our needs have been pushed to the margins. Again and again, promises were made to us that evaporated the day after the election, and representatives became rubber stamps in the name of factional discipline. All of this came at the expense of our children and their future. That is why the time has come to change the equation — to stop scattering among other parties and unite into an independent, patriotic and statesmanlike force that leads an agenda rather than being dragged behind one.”
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'Stronger together' reads the message behind Alliance of Brothers Party head Col. (res.) Wajdi Sarhan
(Photo: Kenan Henew)
The security reality in the north, which has been shaken in recent years, also featured prominently in his remarks. “We, the residents of the north, will no longer tolerate one round after another. We will demand a decision. It is time for the north, the most beautiful region of the country, to flourish with real security," he said. "I was there, I know it is possible. We have the strongest army and the most determined soldiers, and now it is time for the decision-makers to be worthy of them. And if they do not know how to do it — we will be there, at the decision-making junctions, and we will make it happen.”
Sarhan said the new party is already in talks with various political figures examining strategic alliances. According to him, the community will no longer “settle for crumbs.” Party officials also stress that they will maintain full independence to ensure that this time “the community’s rights will not be left outside the basic guidelines of the next government.”
First published: 22:26, 05.04.26