In an unusual move, Israeli residents were allowed to cross into Israel from Syria Tuesday through the Quneitra border crossing, which has been closed in recent years.
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The man and woman are students who were allowed to cross in what has been described as a humanitarian gesture authorized by Defense Minister Benny Gantz following lengthy deliberations on the matter and thanks to the involvement of the International Red Cross, lawmakers, and leaders of Israel's Druze community.
The students who returned from Syria are Nadine Beriq, a resident of the Druze town of Majdal Shams, who left for Damascus with a group of students to study dentistry in 2008, and Khatib Jabbar of Ghajar, who also left to study medicine seven years ago. In 2015, the Quneitra border crossing was closed to students looking to either enter or leave Syria. While some students managed to make their way back to Israel through Jordan, Amman has recently closed its crossing with Israel following an apparent effort by Syria to pressure Israel. As a result, neither Brick nor Ghajar was able to cross back into Israel. The students, who are both residents but not citizens of the Jewish state, found themselves trapped in Syria for months without any ability to return home. Following pressure from the families, the Druze spiritual leader in Israel Sheikh Muwaffak Tarif, and Blue and White MK Mufid Mari enlisted in the effort, and Gantz authorized their request to return.
In a statement to Israel Hayom, Gantz's office confirmed the report and said the transfer of the two students "was carried out on humanitarian grounds and in light of their families' requests to the defense minister by representatives of the Druze community in Israel as well as a request from the [International] Red Cross."
A prominent Druze community representative told Israel Hayom Tuesday, "We have been working on their return to Israel for almost a year. The girl is an Israeli resident from the Druze community. The Assad regime took her passport so that she could not leave Syria. Sheikh Tarif who visited Russia three weeks ago even raised the humanitarian issue there and the idea was raised of her flying to Moscow and from there to Israel. Ultimately, Defense Minister Gantz made the humanitarian decision of the first degree and allowed the Quneitra crossing to be opened …. "
In a post to Facebook, Majdal Shams resident Henadi Beriq wrote: "On International Women's Day, there is no greater gift than ensuring a daughter of Majdal Shams, who studied in Syria, will return to her mother and her family, and put a smile on the face of the father who embraced their son ... after a long period of study."
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