Druze in Mandatory Palestine

Palestinian Druze are Palestine's citizens who belonged to the Druze ethnoreligious group. During the first census of the British protectorate, Druze were one of eight religious demographic groups whom were categorized,[1] The sense of a distinct identity among Druze began to increase in the 1930s when some other Palestinian citizens viewed them as being neutral during ethnic contentions.[2] During the early 20th century, many authors depicted the Druze as neutral during the clashes that happened between Arabs and Jews in the 1920s and 1930s. This perception eventually culminated in Israeli leadership approaching the Druze who were in leadership positions and offering them a treaty of non-aggression, leading to somewhat tranquil relations between the two.[3]

The term Palestinian Druze is still sometimes used for Arab Israeli citizens who belong to the Druze faith.[4] Most Israeli Druze however distance themselves from identifying with Arab Palestinian nationalism.[5]