International parties are pressuring Israeli authorities to reopen the Quneitra border crossing with Syria for students from villages in the Golan Heights, allowing them to study in Syrian universities, media reports said Sunday.
The crossing was closed after the outbreak of the Syrian civil crisis, with the number of students coming to Syria from the Golan Heights estimated to be dozens annually.
According to i24NEWS correspondent Razi Tatour, private sources in the Golan Heights said the International Committee of the Red Cross is one of the parties that supervises the matter and puts pressure on the Israeli side - along with religious leadership of the Syrian citizens in the Golan, the leadership of the Druze community in Israel and its spiritual head, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif.
The sources said that registration lists for studying in Syria were opened to students in the Golan Heights, following the calls to reopen the Quneitra crossing.
Sources close to Tarif confirmed that there have been talks in this regard with both Russian and Israeli sides, noting that the matter is followed up by Sheikh with the official authorities all the time.
However, in a response to an inquiry, the Public Security Ministry denied it received any official directives in this regard in recent months.
The story reprinted with permission from i24NEWS