Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Palestinians threatened in Anbar

IRIN reports that Palestinians living in Anbar have come under increasing pressure from militants to leave or be killed, according to NGOs and Palestinian sources. “Palestinians had been looking for safety and had found it in Anbar province but now they are being targeted [there also]. The threats they have received are an effrontery against the feelings of Muslim Arabs. They have nowhere to go and might be killed if they try to go to another place,” Mahmoud Aydan, a media officer for the Ramadi council, said. “We believe that there are about 150 families taking refuge in different cities of Anbar province but they haven’t been registered with the National Food Programme which makes it harder to know their exact location.” Ahmed Muffitlak, spokesman for the Baghdad-based Palestinian Muslims Association (PMA) said he was concerned about the fate of Palestinians in Anbar province after militants left threatening notes on the doors of Palestinians taking refuge in the area. “At least 17 families have fled Ramadi after militants gave them a week to leave their homes or become the next victims of violence in Iraq." Muffitlak is in Ramadi trying to persuade the local authorities to protect Palestinians.

Ahmed Raki, a 43-year-old Palestinian father of three lives in Ramadi. “There are dozens of [Palestinian] families living with Iraqis in Ramadi, Fallujah and al-Qaim and the threats have been delivered to their homes. We don’t have money, goods and some elderly people are very sick, requiring urgent medical assistance. But they will be forced to flee the area to save their lives. Two girls from our community were raped last week by militants who told them that it was a message to the Palestinians in Anbar to leave the area,” Raki added. “I have to leave before my two daughters meet the same fate.”