Kamal al-Labwani is a democratic opponent of the Assad regime, a former Syrian military doctor who endured a total of eight years in Bashar’s prisons before his release in November 2011.

Now in exile, he recently was interviewed on Orient News TV, an opposition Syrian channel based in Dubai, and spoke in favor of making peace with Israel.

It’s possible to disagree with some of his historical references, and I realize many Israelis are unwilling to relinquish the Golan Heights under any circumstances. But I can only admire his bravery both for standing up to the Syrian regime at the cost of brutal imprisonment and for advocating– in Arabic, to a Syrian audience– peace and cooperation with Israel.

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