Syrian-Israeli couple reunites in the Golan

In a case of life imitating art, the former delivered an uplifting twist on Eran Riklis’ award-winning drama “The Syrian Bride,” when a married Syrian-Israeli couple, who have not seen each other since their wedding a year ago, were reunited last week.

Despite the security concerns deriving from the civil war raging in Syria, Israeli authorities allowed the wife, Syrian resident Hiba Albany, to enter Israel after her passage was brokered by the Red Cross.

The parties joined up last Thursday at a UN buffer zone between Israel and Syria. The transition reportedly passed smoothly as Albany traversed the Quneitra crossing in the Golan Heights.

The couple met at the University of Damascus, where the husband Fidha Ibrahim, a Druze resident of Israel, was studying dentistry in Syria, a common practice among Israel’s Druze residents.

Joy at the reunion was tempered, however, by the knowledge that Albany has effectively waived her right to return to Syria. “She will only be able to meet her family in Jordan from now on. That is why she is crying,” a family member was quoted by Ynet as saying.