Our Arabic teacher invited us to join him and his other students on a picnic trip to the Golan Heights. 17th April marks the withdrawal of the last French soldiers from Syrian soil in 1946 and every year the Syrian Government allows people to enter the Golan in order to call for an end to the continued Israeli occupation of Syrian soil. Associated Press reported that 100,000 people took part this year. I was struck by how the roads leading south from Damascus had taken on a ‘Wacky Races’ quality, with people crammed aboard all modes of transport - cars, tricycles, tractors, even donkeys – racing southwards.
The celebration/demonstration was centred on the ghost-town of Quneitra, formerly home to 37,000 people, but following its systematic destruction by Israeli forces now just a collection of rubble and the abandoned and battle-scarred shells of buildings.
When we arrived at 8 in the morning it was packed with people, starting cooking fires and reclaiming their territory. However, our uncommunicative mini-bus driver refused to acquiesce in our desire to explore the site. Instead, after an exasperating and seemingly aimless hour-long drive around the countryside we were dropped off at a scenic spot in the foothills where we set up our picnic.
Nearby a small PA system was set-up and the area soon filled up with families who spent the afternoon eating picnics, playing football, waving flags and dancing to patriotic songs. Despite the highly charged political content of the day we had a very pleasant afternoon and, as ever, people were welcoming. We ended up meeting a family of Syrian Communists who explained the songs about Palestine, Syria and the Arab Nation and invited us to participate in the festivities.
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