Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Ha'aretz article

Zvi Bar'el writes about the refugees from Iraq for Ha'aretz, the left-of-centre Israeli paper. He reports on Kurdish opposition to Palestinians coming to Kurdistan. He quotes a statement from Talabani saying "They are certainly invited to visit the Kurdish region, but we will not let them settle there." He also quotes Sheikh Nasser al-Saidi, a Shi'ite cleric in Sadr City, who called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Iraq. "Go to your own Palestine. Fight the occupation there," he told them. Also the the Iraqi minister of displaced persons and immigration said in an interview, "Palestinians are not wanted now in Iraq, because they are suspected of committing acts of terror." A Palestinian recently told a reporter from the London-based Al-Hayat. "As soon as they notice that one's accent is not Iraqi - and, even worse, is Palestinian - the victim has no choice but to leave his home - that is, if they let him leave in peace."