Israel's supreme court authorised members of the country's Druze community for the first time to make a pilgrimage to Syria, which is officially at war with the Jewish state, judicial sources said.
The judges ruled that the group would be allowed to remain on Syrian soil for a maximum of 72 hours.
The success or otherwise of their trip will be studied before the court makes a definitive ruling on any future visits after their return.
The names of all the Druze who want to travel to Syria will have to be submitted for approval by the Israeli security services. They will then be transmitted to the authorities in Damascus by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The judges also ruled that the Druze who travel to Syria must not try and visit Lebanon, which also has a sizeable Druze minority but is also still technically at war with Israel.
Druze who are reservists in the Israeli army or parents of army officers will not be allowed to go to Syria, according to the same sources. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
