Note:
(a) Golan Heights http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights
(a basaltic plateau; section 1 Etymology and toponymy; The broader Golan plateau exhibits a more subdued topography, generally ranging between 120 metres (390 ft) and 520 metres (1,710 ft) in elevation; highest elevation: 2,814 metres (9,232 ft) on Mount Hermon in the north)
(b) cherry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry
(two species [native] in America; section 2.1 Etymology and antiquity)
(c) "A Druze friend had invited us to come and pick some cherries in her family's orchard near the village of Majdal Shams in the far north of the Golan."
(i) Druze http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druze
(emerged during the 11th century from the Ismailism school of Shia Islam; section 2.1 Origin of the name)
(ii) Majdal Shams http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdal_Shams
(section 1 Etymology)
(d) "Traditionally, the Druze have had close religious and political ties to the family of the Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad. The secretive Druze religion, like Mr Assad's Alawite sect, draws on branches of Shia Islam."
(i) Bashar al-Assad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashar_al-Assad
(His father, Hafez al-Assad, born to a poor family of Alawite background; His last name in Arabic means "the lion")
(ii) Alawite http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alawite
(a religious group within Shia Islam; section 1 Etymology)