President Saleh of Yemen, arriving in Riyadh, said that the Arab League summit has to tackle with a sense of responsibility the ordeal of the Palestinians living in Iraq, in light of the threats and violence they have been experiencing at the hands of militias and death squads.
IMEMC reports Palestinian Refugees in Iraq sent a statement to the Arab League summit in Riyadh asking the participants “not to allow the Iraqi delegation to side-step their issue”, and asking them not to believe the delegation’s pledges of protecting them. They said that the Iraqi government is not interested in protecting the refugees “since it had many chances to do so, but chose not to”, and accused the Iraqi government of “giving orders for committing crimes against the refugees”. The refugees also said that the government repeatedly vowed in several previous conferences that it would provide the Palestinian refugees with the needed protection “but waged more violent attacks against them”. In their message to the summit, the refugees stated that there is a growing rejection to their presence in Iraq. “If the summit only voices a naïve statement calling for our protection, the leaders should know that they have fired the mercy bullet at us”, the letter of the refugee reads, “a naïve statement would be similar to passing a death sentence on the refugees who remain here”.
Mafkarat al-Islam reported that two Palestinian refugees living in Iraq had been tortured to death in Iraqi Interior Ministry prisons. The Palestinian Information Center quoted Palestinians who were among a group of 12 who were locked up in an Interior Ministry prison who said that the two were killed when they were being tortured in an attempt to extract “confessions” that they were responsible of attacks on the US and its local puppet allies. The source indicated that seven Palestinian refugees, detained in the Interior Ministry’s prisons since the massacres in the al-Baladiyat neighborhood of Baghdad two weeks ago, are expected to be released on Monday. Palestinian sources said that the Interior Ministry, launched a major campaign of raids, searches, and mass arrests targeted on Palestinians in Baghdad in the last two days. A group of four large buses hauled about 200 Palestinian refugees out of Baghdad, dumping them at the al-Walid tent camp near the Iraqi border with Syria.
The Yemen News Agency reports that a symposium organized by Kanan Association for Supporting Palestine called for Arab Leaders to alliviate the suffering of Palestinians in Iraq and sent a copy of the call to the UN Secretary General, Security Council and European Union. The Chairman of the Association, Yahya Saleh, said the symposium aims at shedding light on the suffering of the Palestinian refugees in Iraq within the framework of preparing for an international conference to protect the civil rights of Palestinian refugees in different countries.
At a press conference with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, President Abbas demanded that the UN Security Council rescue the Palestinian refugees in Iraq since they are subjected to systematic attacks.
Ma'an news agency reports that a spokesperson for the UNHCR said that consultations are ongoing regarding transporting the Palestinian refugees in Iraq to Yemen as a temporary settlement. She said that the project is not the first suggestion and previously Kurdistan, Canada and Australia had been considered.
CNN in India reports on a family of Palestinian refugees from Iraq now living in India (see video). It focuses on 8yr old Jamal who's home in Iraq was bombed, his school shelled and his best friend killed. He says “I want to go to an Indian school and learn English. Children in the Iraqi school [in Delhi] do not treat me well. They call me a refugee." The report says the family has "been living off their savings and there isn't much left" as well as aid from UNHCR. The report says there are 160 refugees living Delhi, but it is unclear whether this refers to Palestinians from Iraq specifically, or refugees from Iraq in general.
UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said "UNHCR and other organisations have also received allegations of physical abuse and possibly torture being carried out [on Palestinians] in detention, an allegation denied by the Iraqi authorities. One ex-detainee reported he was beaten on his back and suffered a broken hand. He believed that others had been subjected to worse treatment." Seperately UNHCR notes that it has "received reports that the families of several detained Palestinians have been forced to pay thousands of dollars to some members of the Iraqi security forces – allegedly for protection from torture and mutilation of their family members while in detention. Higher sums have reportedly been demanded to ensure their release. The Palestinians who arrived at the border claimed that their houses had been raided by the special forces, their furniture thrown out of their homes and that they were told they had two days to leave their homes. Others claimed they had been detained and maltreated before being released. UNHCR is also very much concerned about the safety of NGOs working with the Palestinians. On March 13, one NGO staff dealing with the Palestinian community was abducted in front of his son by unknown men and found dead the next day." He added that at least 186 Palestinians had been confirmed murdered in Baghdad between April 2004 and January this year. UNHCR believes the number may be significantly higher. "How much more will have to happen before the international community and the countries in the region respond positively to calls to have Palestinians relocated out of Iraq," said Andrew Harper, head of UNHCR's Iraq Support Unit. "The Palestinians are particularly targeted, not protected and have nowhere to flee to."
Reuters reports from al-Tanf camp: "Hameda Um Firas has lived most of her 70-odd years as a refugee - now she is stranded in a tent again at Iraq's border with Syria where hundreds of Palestinians have fled to escape violence in Baghdad. "We escaped in fear of our lives. My granddaughter was decapitated by a missile attack and our sons were killed, we fled Iraq to spare our lives," she said, barely able to contain tears of anger at Arab countries she said should be helping. "We are living in a miserable state in this camp," she said as children played in dusty lanes between white tents with clothes hanging to dry on the guy ropes. A 25-year-old who gave only his first name, Alaa, fled to the camp at the Tanaf border crossing after gunmen killed one of his brothers. "All my family are separated now, I know nothing about my brothers and where they are," he said... UNHCR spokeswoman Astrid van Genderen Stort said "The difference with Palestinians is they have nowhere to go," she said. "A lot of them have expired identity papers which the Iraqis are not extending because it's not their priority. They're in a Catch-22. They're targeted, they have death threats, they have these raids, but they can't flee and when they flee they either have to do it illegally or they are stuck at the border. Palestinians are seen as insurgents or trouble makers ... because they're Sunnis."
UNHCR has condemned Thursday's raid, apparently part of the Baghdad secu. It says at least one person was killed and "Sixty people were reportedly detained during Wednesday's raid, but most were released and just nine are said to be still in detention. The raid prompted at least 41 other Palestinians to flee the capital and join 850 compatriots who have been stranded at the Iraq-Syria border since last May. [and] "More are expected to be on their way," UNHCR chief spokesperson, Ron Redmond, told reporters in Geneva." The dead man was a guard at a Baghdad mosque and reportedly suffered at least one gunshot to the head."
Iraq Slogger notes that the Iraqi News Agency reported Palestinian Prime Minister Isma'il Haniya and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas both condemned the raid and demanding that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani protect the Palestinian refugee community in Iraq from victimization at the hands of both the government forces and armed religious groups.
Kristele Younes of Refugees International writes about the Iraq refugee crisis for the think thank Foreign Policy in Focus. She recommends that "Western countries, including the U.S., must agree to resettle particularly vulnerable groups, such as the Palestinians, without prejudice to their right to return to their country as recognized under international law." Kristele visited the border camps last November and heard first hand the testimonies of Palestinian refugees.
There are a number of reports on an attack on a Palestinian appartment building in Baladiat district yesterday, the figures and accounts vary: The AP reports that Iraqi security forces raided a Palestinian compound in Baghdad after an attack on a police patrol, prompting a battle that left one Palestinian dead, Iraqi officials, and at least 15 Palestinians were detained. Palestinian charge d'affaires Dalil al-Qusous said as many as 80 Palestinians had been detained and demanded their release. He claimed the Iraqi troops fired randomly during the raid, causing "fear and awe." Another AP report quotes Qusous further "We used to say the attacks occurred by militias or gangs; but now the state is attacking" and he continued explaining that Interior Ministry forces first broke into the compound in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday, seizing two Palestinians and shooting randomly. Then they returned for about five hours on Wednesday, detaining dozens and sparking a gunbattle that killed one Palestinian. A later AP report added that the Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, defending the raid on the Palestinian compound in eastern Baghdad, saying it was targeting a stolen car network, not the Palestinians. Police met with fierce resistance when they went to arrest suspects on Wednesday and he said "three gang members were killed and 15 others arrested." The LA Times writes "Iraqi police and soldiers traded fire with gunmen holed up in an apartment building inhabited by Palestinian refugees in east Baghdad. At least two people were killed and three injured inside the building, police said at the scene. U.S. and Iraqi security forces surrounded the building and apprehended up to 70 suspects." The IraqSlogger, based on a report from the Haqq Agency, says "Eyewitnesses said that ten people were killed in the raids and several others wounded after Iraqi troops opened fire randomly." Reuters reports that "Iraqi troops raided a complex in eastern Baghdad occupied by Palestinian refugees after receiving information that a car bomb was inside the compound, Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Abdul Karim Khalaf said. Khalaf said shooting broke out and three men gunmen were killed and 25 others were arrested, including Iraqis and Palestianians."
Iraqslogger translates a report from the Arabic Haqq news agency, stating that "that Mahdi Army militiamen abducted a Palestinian citizen from outside his house in the Tobchi district, west of Baghdad. His family found his corpse dumped near the railroad in the area, which is where Shi’ite militias that control the district dispose of bodies."
The Cyprus Mail reports that 200 Palestinian refugees who fled from Iraq are in a desperate financial situation and claim the immigration authorities are not adequately helping them. The group’s spokesman, Abu Ahmed, told the Mail that the 40 families have been on the receiving end of stalling tactics designed to stop them applying for asylum. "Every time we go to the Larnaca immigration office, we are told to come back in a week. When we return in a week, we are told to go back again in ten days. This situation has been going on for the last two months now. No reason for the delays is ever given. The officers are so rude and aggressive and are constantly shouting at us. Because of their delays, we are now living in fear of being arrested, as we are technically on the island illegally." Ahmed also says that the group has not been given free legal advice, which is their right.
Ahmed said the group left Baghdad following attacks on the camp in which "At least 500 people were killed, kidnapped or arrested. With everything going on around us, we couldn’t stay at the camp and had to leave before it was too late. We couldn’t go to any other Arab country as we’re Palestinian and decided to come to Cyprus as many of us had been to the island before on holiday and found the people sympathetic to us. We felt we would be safe here as our people are similar to one another."
Doros Polycarpou, President of KISA, Action for Equality, Support and Anti-Racism, described the Palestinian’s plight as, “very serious”, adding that they are "being denied the right to apply for asylum, which they are entitled to. The law is very clear: From the first moment that they arrived on the island, they should have been looked after, not had life made difficult for them." The group’s lawyer said it was regrettable that they had experienced delays, but said that she had been in touch with the relevant immigration authorities, "who will now be accepting asylum applications from the individuals in question."
The Palestinian Ministry of Refugees today issued a report noting 31 attacks Palestinian in Iraq in February (and estimating there were dozens more that went unreported), resulting in 8 deaths. The attacks also included breaking into houses, beating the residents, and stealing money and household items. It said that at least 15 were abducted by insurgents and U.S troops. Two of the abducted refugees were released, the bodies of two others were discovered with signs of torture, and the fate of the others remains unknown. The Ministry called on the Jordanian and Syrian governments to allow in the Palestinian refugees who are stranded on the borders under harsh conditions. Zakariya al-Agha, Member of the PLO Executive Committee, called on the Iraqi Government to protect the Palestinian refugees and work for improving their deteriorated living conditions. He added that the a delegation from the PLO will visit Iraq to meet with the Palestinian refugees there and follow up the situation with the Iraqi government.
IRIN interviews Fu’ad Ahmed is a 47-year-old Palestinian father of two who has been living in Iraq for the past 18 years. "My children grew up here and we always had good relations with all Iraqis but in the past few years my situation in this country has become terrible. My daughter, Hanan was married to an Iraqi but was forced to divorce him because his family didn’t want to have Palestinian blood in their future children. My son Waleed and his wife were killed in July 2006 by militia men who accused him of participating in the insurgency, but he was a good boy. Since his death my wife has developed serious psychological problems. Because I am unemployed, I cannot afford medical treatment for her. I haven’t had a job now for the past three years. When employers learn that I’m Palestinian they just give me a silly excuse and tell me to look elsewhere. We fled our home in September last year and became displaced [because of the violence in the neighbourhood]. Since then, we have been constantly on the move, looking for a more secure place. But the violence is getting more dangerous day by day and with Palestinians targeted, no one wants us near them. I have to look after my sick wife, my daughter who is suffering from depression since her husband left her and my grandchild after my son was killed. I don’t have money to leave Iraq. All my savings were stolen by Iraqi soldiers when they raided my home in December 2005. I went to a police station to seek help to recover my money but the only answer I got was that I should be thankful to be alive because Saddam’s followers were being killed every day."
"I’m desperate. I have no job, no food, no home and no respect. I don’t want to become a beggar in Baghdad’s streets but if the situation continues like this, I don’t know if I can it stand any longer. I spend all day in the streets looking for a job. Sometimes I am hired to clear somebody’s garden because they don’t know I’m Palestinian and I can get a few dinars to buy food for my family. We try to cope with fewer meals so that we can survive for a longer time. Now, my food ration has been cut off and my son was expelled from dentistry college in his fourth year before he was killed. They told him that they were tired of giving free education to people who never helped to build the country. The situation got worse when we asked for psychiatric treatment for my wife in a public hospital. He [the doctor there] was rude and refused to attend to my wife and daughter saying that he is not paid to treat ex-regime supporters. Today, I’m living as a displaced person on the outskirts of Baghdad but tomorrow I might be in a grave if someone doesn’t help us soon."
A Palestinian based in Canada, Rafeef Ziadah, gives an excellent summary on Electronic Intifada of the history of Palestinians in Iraq and an update on refugees currently in Canada. Some extracts follow: "Palestinians came to Iraq in several waves, each time fleeing a war. The first group is originally from villages around Haifa and Yaffa. They resisted the initial Israeli attacks on their villages, but were later forced to flee to Jenin where the Iraqi army was present. The women and children were evacuated to Iraq and all adult men were incorporated into a special unit in the Iraqi army, the Karmel Brigade. When the Iraqi Army left Palestine in 1948, these villagers (about 4000 in all) retreated with it. The next wave of Palestinians arrived in Iraq after the 1967 War and a third group arrived in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War when Palestinian refugees were forced to leave Kuwait... Palestinians in Iraq were issued special travel documents, had the right to work and were given full access to health, education and other government services. They were also provided with government-owned housing or subsidized rent in privately-owned houses [but they] were not given citizenship, however, nor were they allowed to own assets such as cars, houses, or land. The precariousness of their situation was revealed starkly after the US invasion, and their preferential treatment, much of which was more apparent than real, made them targets for reprisals."
Referring to the small amount of resettlement today he mentions that: "Another 25 individuals from Al-Ruweished camp have been accepted to come to Canada under private, "group of five" sponsorship. This means that a group of five individuals are taking personal responsibility for them. Sponsors have to establish stability and income. This process of sponsorship does not entitle the refugees to any welfare services, as the sponsoring individuals need to cover the full expenses of the families for the first 12 months. For their first year in Canada, those refugees will not be able to access any of the services offered to the other 54 that were sponsored by the government. This is the privatization of the 'Palestinian refugee problem'."
The Palestine House Educational & Cultural Centre in Ontario is fundraising to support Palestinians from Iraq being resettled in Canada under private sponsorship.
IMEMC reports that the Iraq refugees' affairs ministry announced the death of Ahmed Alriyahie , a Palestinian writer originally from Tulkarem; according to the Iraqi ministry, Alriyahie was shot when unknown gang members attacked his house on Sunday.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, addressed a meeting of the Arab League's Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Egypt. He praised Arab states for their traditional generosity toward the displaced and urged them to take a more active role in UNHCR's work in Iraq. He made a special plea on the non-Iraqi refugees inside Iraq, including the 15,000 Palestinians.
