Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., November 01, 2007 Cheshvan 20, 5768 | | Israel Time: 09:21 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Print Edition Diplomacy Defense Arts & Leisure Real Estate Jewish World National Advertising Magazine Week's End Business Opinion Rosner's Domain Anglo File Books Travel

A Red Cross truck passes through the Quneitra border crossing between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights. (Archives) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 14:38 08/10/2007 Druze women protest in call to open Golan border crossing By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent tags: Israel, Golan Heights, Druze  A group of Druze women from the Golan Heights demonstrated Monday in front of the Red Cross offices in East Jerusalem, against the fact that they are unable to visit relatives in Syria through the Quneitra border crossing. Suha Mundar, an Ein Qiniya attorney who was born in Damascus, told Haaretz that the women have filed repeated petitions with various government ministries, all of which have been denied without an official response. "Israel is thwarting the desires to open the crossing for us," she said. "This is in violation of all international treaties on occupied territory, and is completely illogical." Advertisement Mundar's relatives live in Syria, and she has been unable to see them for many years. Many of the women who participated in the demonstration were born in Syria, but married Golan Druze. Others are Golan natives with relatives in Syria. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, and the strategic territory remains the primary bone of contention between the two sides. Some 20,000 Druze live alongside a similar number Israelis in the Golan, many of whom continue to maintain at least nominal loyalty to Syria. The Golan Druze still have close family ties with Druze across the border, and Golan Druze women often marry Syrian Druze men, leaving the Golan Heights in order to reside in Syria permanently. The law requires any individual who wishes to visit Syria to receive special permission to do so. While it is possible to visit Syria via Jordan, the Druze women want the Quneitra crossing opened in order to provide a direct link. According to Mundar, the women will hand the Red Cross a request to assist them in seeing family members on the other side of the border. The Quneitra crossing is currently used by Druze sheikhs who visit Syria for religious purposes, as well as by students who are studying in Syrian universities. In recent years, the crossing has also been used for the export of Druze-grown apples to Syria, under the auspices of the Red Cross Bookmark to del.icio.us Sex slaves Studies show that 220 women were forced into prostitution by the German SS during WWII. Laughing through tears Hundreds gathered in Tel Aviv to pay their respects to beloved comic actor Yisrael Poliakov.   1.   Lots of good came from Israel subsidising apple export to Syria, 11:30  |  Absolute Sweden 08/10/07   2.   The last paragraph proves 11:57  |  Yonatan 08/10/07   3.   Druse Women feminist? Equal rights? Organise, Ladieslol 13:34  |  Petra 08/10/07   4.   RETURN GOLAN TO SYRIA NOW 13:38  |  TRippleJump 08/10/07   5.   No peace possible with Syria without return of Golan 13:39  |  Eric 08/10/07   6.   #4 Return Tripplejump to Syria now! 13:51  |  Yonatan 08/10/07   7.   #5 Eric 13:53  |  Yonatan 08/10/07   8.   absolute sweden 14:01  |  northern neighbor 08/10/07   9.   Yonatan#6&7... Didn`t you know that occupation can NEVER last 14:04  |  Eric 08/10/07   10.   Will they beat them as they did the women at Amona? 14:14  |  Mike 08/10/07   11.   Druse women cry... 14:17  |  dovale 08/10/07   12.   Yonatan from kfarsaba 14:19  |  northern neighbor 08/10/07   13.   To Tripple Jump 14:25  |  dovale 08/10/07   14.   Triple jump 15:12  |  ottomatik 08/10/07   15.   To Eric...occupation? what occupation? oh you mean the Golan? 15:16  |  SLAVO 08/10/07   16.   #9 Eric - Inaacurate analogy 15:22  |  Yonatan 08/10/07   17.   #12 northern neighbor 15:31  |  Yonatan 08/10/07   18.   #11 and #13 15:39  |  Joseph 08/10/07   19.   Yes, Yonatan 15:45  |  Polybios 08/10/07   20.   Syrian Golan will have to be returned for a sustained peace 16:55  |  Jim 08/10/07   21.   alsace and loraine 17:47  |  masboush ben drita 08/10/07   22.   # 1 so you think those christians 17:55  |  Kris 08/10/07   23.   What ever happened to... 17:57  |  Gershon Reed 08/10/07   24.   # 16 obviously they aren`t happy 18:03  |  Kris 08/10/07   25.   #20 Jim and `sustained peace` 18:03  |  Chick 08/10/07   26.   # 17 it`s nice that you do not consider 18:05  |  Kris 08/10/07   27.   Chick - also, the Rothschild lands stolen by Syria 18:39  |  Polybios 08/10/07   28.   Golan 18:59  |  Ted 08/10/07   29.   cruel division of Syria 19:11  |  Jeff 08/10/07   30.   Eric - that`s just plain wrong (post #9) 19:11  |  Polybios 08/10/07   31.   Yonatan # 17 19:23  |  northern neighbor 08/10/07   32.   #27 Polybios Good Post 19:45  |  Chick 08/10/07   33.   n.n. - #31 19:59  |  Polybios 08/10/07   34.   too bad 20:49  |  ken 08/10/07   35.   31 North 20:58  |  Michael 08/10/07   36.   absolute sweden 1 10:39  |  realism 09/10/07   37.   dear northern neighbor, if u do not understand why Israel is a 04:45  |  Jack 24/10/07   38.   Water, Water, Water! 05:38  |  Maureen Ann 01/11/07   39.   To SLAVO 08:49  |  Neil 01/11/07

Today Online Days numbered for the 'Night Horsemen' of Nablus Responses: 4 Israel: Hezbollah has tripled its land-to-sea missile arsenal Responses: 169 Arab MKs: Effort to thwart our trips to enemy states is 'racist' Responses: 165 Shmuel Rosner: Annapolis is the summit of all fears Responses: 46 Court orders Jewish town to set aside land for Israeli Arab couple Responses: 76 Rosner's Domain * WTR: Voters want Clinton to attack Iran * Guest: Churchill sometimes manipulated Jewish issues * Annapolis - The summit of all fears * Is Tikkun Olam a substitute for Israel? More Headlines 08:57 IDF assessing Israel's security needs ahead of Annapolis 08:50 UN defines exact area covered by Shaba Farms for first time 08:04 For Nablus' 'Night Horsemen,' the days are numbered 08:53 Senior police officer: Cops didn't enter Druze prayer hall in Peki'in 08:31 Cairo synagogue marks 100 years of grandeur and decline 09:19 One killed in Shomron road accident; separate pile-up leaves 16 hurt 03:49 Zionist leaders protest donors' bid to separate JA, WZO 05:09 Health Ministry memo: New meds to cost double the amount budgeted 04:40 State to request back-to-work orders for striking teachers Previous Editions Select Day 31 oct 30 oct 29 oct 28 oct 26 oct 25 oct 24 oct 23 oct 22 oct 21 oct 19 oct 18 oct

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