Dozens of Golan residents return home from studies in Damascus; some say security situation ´not as bad as depicted by press,´ while others say ´we were in constant danger´

Hundreds of Druze from the village of Bukata in the Golan Heights welcomed back 80 students who returned from Syria Tuesday through the Quneitra Crossing.

Gadir Zuha, a med student, said she was very glad to return to Israel in good health. "It is true that while in Syria we were frightened and sometimes had to remain indoors, but we looked out for one another. From what I could tell, the Syrian people are not against (President Bashar) Assad."

Gadir said she plans to return to Damascus to continue her studies, "despite all that is going on there."

Some of the students told Ynet that the media´s depiction of the situation in Syria is exaggerated, but another student said, "They are afraid to tell the truth."

Another student, Zahuha Tagdir, said the group was protected by the Syrian army. "I´m not deterred by all that I here about the situation in Syria, and I plan to return to Damascus to continue my studies," she said.

A Druze student who asked to remain anonymous told Ynet that the security situation in Syria is dire and that he will not be returning to Damascus "before things calm down.

"We constantly felt that we were in danger," he said.

Another student said his friends are "afraid to discuss the real picture in Syria, because they fear they will be harmed upon their return to Damascus. It´s best if we don’t go back, because all of our lives will be in danger if we do."

A fellow Druze student added: "I experienced the most difficult time of my life in Syria. There were times when we couldn´t sleep because of the fighting. I cried a lot and waited anxiously to go home, because I feel safe in my village.

"I don’t think there are students who are capable of returning to Syria and live under fire. There were days when we couldn´t go outside to buy food," she said. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 08/07/12)