TEL AVIV, Israel (MNTV) — Israeli authorities are considering allowing workers from Syria’s Druze community to enter Israel for employment, a proposal that critics could view as another attempt by Tel Aviv to deepen its influence over the Syrian Druze population amid Israel’s continuing military strikes in southern Syria.
Israeli news outlet Ynet reported that the proposal would allow Syrian Druze to work primarily in agriculture while also receiving vocational training in areas including medicine and other professions. The plan comes amid persistent labor shortages in Israel, particularly in the agricultural sector.
The proposal is being considered after deadly sectarian violence erupted in Syria’s Druze-majority Suweida province in July 2025.
Much of the province subsequently came under the control of separatist militias opposed to the Syrian government and sympathetic to Israel, according to the report.
Israel has increasingly portrayed itself as a defender of Syria’s Druze population, using the community’s security as a justification for military intervention and operations inside Syrian territory.
The policy has drawn criticism because Israel has simultaneously expanded its military presence beyond the occupied Golan Heights following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s government in December 2024.
The proposed employment arrangement would provide Syrian Druze with access to substantially higher wages than those available inside Syria.
Ynet reported that a single day of work in Israel could reportedly equal approximately three months of wages for some workers in Syria, creating a powerful economic incentive for participation.
Beyond employment, the proposed scheme reportedly includes professional training in several fields, potentially allowing participants to acquire skills that could later be used in agriculture, healthcare and other sectors.
The plan would also reportedly facilitate meetings between Druze residents in Syria and their relatives living in Israel. According to Ynet, the Israeli military is considering allowing such family meetings at designated locations near the border on the Syrian side.
The proposal is not entirely new. Israel first considered bringing Syrian Druze workers into the country in April 2025, when the Gaza war had contributed to a shortage of foreign labour. The Israeli government ultimately abandoned the plan shortly before it was due to proceed.
The renewed proposal comes amid a broader Israeli strategy toward southern Syria that has combined military intervention, territorial expansion and efforts to cultivate ties with local Druze communities.
Following Assad’s fall, Israeli forces seized additional territory in Syria beyond the Golan Heights and have conducted repeated airstrikes and incursions inside the country. These actions have been condemned by Syrian authorities as violations of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Israel’s portrayal of itself as a protector of the Syrian Druze has therefore become increasingly contentious, particularly as its military presence inside Syria expands.
Critics argue that economic incentives and cross-border initiatives risk becoming instruments of political influence over a Syrian minority rather than purely humanitarian or employment measures.
The proposal also comes against the backdrop of growing tensions surrounding Suweida, where competing local forces, the Syrian government and external actors have sought influence over the province’s future.
If implemented, the scheme would create an unusual cross-border labor arrangement between Israel and a Syrian community while potentially strengthening economic and social links between Syrian Druze and Israel at a time when Damascus is seeking to reassert sovereignty over the country’s southern regions.
The Israeli government reportedly cancelled the earlier proposal in 2025, and it remains unclear whether the latest initiative will receive final approval or what conditions would govern the entry and employment of Syrian workers.