Druze at Quneitra crossing
Photo: Avihu Shapira
3 Druze women cross into Syria to aid relatives
In unusual step, Israel allows thee Syrian-born women who now reside in Druze village in Golan Heights to cross back into homeland to visit ill relatives. Women are slated to return to Israel in number of weeks
Three Syrian women, who are married to Druze from the Golan Heights, crossed into their homeland on Monday in order to assist their relatives, who suffer from a serious illness.
Some two months ago, a group of young woman born in Syria and married to Golan Heights Druze protested at the Quneitra crossing at the Israel-Syria border. The protesters included Walida and Ruwaida Hamad from the village of Mas'ade who requested to be able to return to Syria to take care of their father Naif, who suffers from a serious illness.
"Ever since we found out about dad, we have been tormented," Ruwaida said over the weekend, shortly after she received the authorization to cross the border. "When we heard that dad and mom are sick, we were willing to do anything in the world to see them for one last time."
Last month Druze 550 religious figures and 70 woman over the age of 70 went on a pilgrimage in Syria's holy sites and returned to Israel. MK Ayoub Kara (Likud) promised during the demonstration to work to enable younger women to go to Syria and to allow for certain circumstances to allow Syrian-born Druze living in the Golan Heights to go back to visit their sick relatives.
Monday morning, in a joint IDF, Red Cross and Interior Ministry operation, the women crossed back into Syria. A 50-year-old woman joined the sisters to visit her son who was sent to Damascus for an emergency operation.
Red Cross spokeswoman Yael Segev Eitan said, "Three women crossed over on humanitarian grounds. We are prepared for such a move similar to that of the passage of students or religious figures, but these cases are more urgent matters that were approved by the authorities in Israel and Syria."
The three women are slated to remain in Syria in their relatives' homes for a number of weeks and then return to their homes in the northern Golan Heights.
