Mehdi Lebouachera; 27/9/08
Arin Safadi, wearing a sumptuous white wedding dress, walked past barbed wire in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights so she could join her future husband on the Syrian side. She was beaming with happiness at the prospect of embarking on a new life, but the young bride could also not hold back the tears as she waved farewell to her native home, knowing she could never return. Just before she reached the Quneitra border post, Safadi had one last heart-wrenching task to perform - signing a document in which she pledged to relinquish her right to residency in the Israeli-annexed area. “I give up my right of residence and I know that I may not return because of the absence of diplomatic ties between Israel and Syria,” says the text.
