The Quneitra Crossing ( ar, تقاطع القنيطرة, he, מעבר קוניטרה) is a

border crossing Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

through the purple ceasefire line into the

UNDOF The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria in the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The mission was established by United ...

controlled area between the Syrian controlled and the Israeli-occupied portion of the

Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...

. It is on the southwestern outskirts of

Quneitra , ''Qunayṭrawi'' or ''Qunayṭirawi'' , population_density_metro_sq_mi = , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title = , population_bla ...

, and not far from the

Israeli settlement Israeli settlements, or Israeli colonies, are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, overwhelmingly of Jewish ethnicity, built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. The international community considers Israeli se ...

of Ein Zivan in the Golan Heights. Syrian

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

from the Golan Heights are permitted to cross through the passage to study, work and live in Syria proper. The crossing is also used for the transfer of apples grown by

farmers under the auspices of the Red Cross. The only concrete guard post along the ceasefire line is at the Quneitra crossing.

History

The opening of a crossing at Quneitra took place after the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...

in 1973. The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) established its headquarters along the border. In order to carry out its work, UNDOF needed to move freely between Israel and Syria. Since 2004, Druze have exported

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

s to Syria through the crossing. In 2010, some 10,000 tons of apples grown by

farmers in the

were sent to Syria. In 2010, the Israeli government authorized a pilgrimage to Syria by a group of 300 Druze citizens of Israel interested in visiting religious sites there. A group of dancers from five Druze villages in the Golan Heights was sent to

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

to perform in a dabka competition. Israeli Druze civilians are permitted to cross the border at Quneitra for university studies and marriage. Since 1993, 67 Syrian brides have crossed into the Golan Heights and 11 brides from the Golan have crossed into Syria through the Quneitra crossing. This issue was the topic of the award-winning movie,

The Syrian Bride ''The Syrian Bride'' ( he, הכלה הסורית) is a 2004 film directed by Eran Riklis. The story deals with a Druze wedding and the troubles the politically unresolved situation creates for the personal lives of the people in and from the vill ...

. The terminal usually closes at 6 p.m. but can be opened at any time to handle humanitarian emergencies, such as the transfer to Israel of a Druze dentistry student who suffered a stroke while studying in Syria. On 6 June 2013 the crossing was attacked by Syrian rebels and temporarily occupied. Syrian government forces were able to quickly retake the crossing. A Filipino peacekeeper of the

was wounded during the fighting. As a result, the Austrian government announced to withdraw its troops from the UN mission. On 27 August 2014 Syrian rebels again occupied the crossing. Quneitra was reopened on October 15, 2018, for UNDOF personnel. File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Apple Export at Quneitra Crossing (8).jpg, Apples in the Golan Heights being transferred to Syria via the Quneitra crossing File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Apple Export at Quneitra Crossing (1).jpg, Apples transferred to Syria at Quneitra crossing, February 2011

References

External links

US Consular Information Sheet - Israel, the West Bank and Gaza

ICRC activities in the occupied Golan
{{Coord, 33, 06, 46, N, 35, 48, 57, E, type:city_scale:10000, display=title Israel–Syria border crossings Golan Heights