Fate Of Palestinian Refugees In Iraq

Fate of Palestinian Refugees in Iraq

It is hell to be stateless.

From the USG Open Source Center:

‘ PLO’s Al-Agha: Palestinian Killings in Iraq Part of US-Israeli Settlement Conspiracy
Report by Al-Quds correspondent in Gaza: “Dr Al-Agha: It Is a US-Israeli Conspiracy To Force Settlement [of Palestinians]. The Refugees’ Department Condemns the Killing of Palestinians in Iraq”

Al-Quds

Friday, June 2, 2006 T20:41:35Z

Dr Zakariyah al-Agha, member of the PLO Executive Committee and head of the PLO Refugees’ Department, has condemned the killing of Palestinians residing in Iraq after they had been subjected to threats by armed Iraqi groups and warned to leave immediately Iraq or face death, especially in Al-Hurriyah and Al-Tubji areas.

Dr Al-Agha added that the Refugees’ Department in the PLO has informed the Iraqi Government and all concerned parties in Iraq of this issue so that they will adopt measures to protect them, noting that due to these threats, large numbers (of Palestinians), estimated at hundreds of people, are preparing to leave (Iraq) via the Syrian borders.

Dr Al-Agha explained that the assassination attempts and operations have been carried out on daily basis, especially during the past ten days, against Palestinians in Iraq. Last Tuesday, a Palestinian national, Faysal Abd-al-Qadir, was assassinated and scores of others were chased and tortured. Moreover, Al-Agha noted that at dawn yesterday, the US forces arrested three Palestinians in Sahat al-Hurriyat area; they are Jamal Khadr Muhammad, Muhammad Khadr Muhammad, and Khadr Jamal Khadr. Furthermore, last Monday US forces arrested Subhi Abu-Qutaysh and two of his sons.

Al-Agha noted that after the fatwa that was issued by Al-Sistani prohibiting the shedding of Palestinian blood, the killing operations against Palestinians in Iraq have increased. Al-Agha ruled out that these brutal actions are carried out by the sons of the Iraqi people who have hosted Palestinians in their land, guaranteed them an honorable living, and bolstered their steadfastness until they can return to the homes from which they were displaced in 1948, in accordance with UN Resolution 194.

Dr Al-Agha accused foreign and suspicious groups that cooperate with the US occupation of carrying out such attacks, killings, torture, arrests, and acts of intimidation against Palestinian refugees in Iraq. He held the US and British occupation forces responsible for what Palestinians in Iraq are currently facing and for the current chaos and crimes in Iraq.

Dr Al-Agha noted that the targeting of Palestinians in Iraq falls within the US-Israeli plan to pressure and strangulate the Palestinian refugees in a bid to force them to accept the settlement plans that the Americans and the Israelis have presented in the United Nations’ corridors as substitute solutions for what has been endorsed by international legitimacy in terms of just and comprehensive solutions for the Palestinian refugees’ problem. Moreover, he noted that the ongoing saga of attacks and hunting down of Palestinians in Iraq by these groups falls with the context of this plan.

Dr Al-Agha stressed that (the Refugees’ Department has contacted the) United Nations in a bid to alleviate the refugees’ suffering, to provide protection for them, and to urge the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and commitments on the basis of the refugees’ right to return to their homeland and right to receive (humane) treatment in accordance with human rights and international law. Moreover, in a telephone contact, the Refugees’ Department sought clarifications from the refugees’ affairs section in the US Embassy in Amman with regard to the arrest campaign that is being carried out by US forces against Palestinians in Iraq. The US Embassy has promised to follow up this issue.

Within the same context and with regard to refugees stuck in Syria, Al-Agha said that following the entry of refugees in Iraq into Syria to Al-Hawl camp in Al-Hasakah, a group of Palestinian refugees, 236 individuals, rushed toward the Syrian borders. They are now stuck in the buffer zone and are suffering from very difficult conditions. He stressed that the Refugees’ Department is following their case around the clock in coordination with all concerned parties, foremost of which is the (UN) High Commission for Refugees, because they are encompassed in its mandate in light of the fact that they are not registered on the UNRWA’s lists to receive the necessities and relief that would ensure them an honorable and secure living.

(Description of Source: Jerusalem Al-Quds in Arabic — Independent, largest circulation Palestinian newspaper; supports Palestinian Authority and peace process) ‘