Arab States Deny Entry to Palestinians Persecuted in Iraq, European and American States Take them!

Palestinian refugees from Iraq granted asylum in Norway

Published today (updated) 18/08/2009 11:43

Bethlehem – Ma’an –

140 Palestinian refugees who fled Iraq have departed Syria for Norway, where they have been granted asylum.

The Palestinians were living in three refugee camps. Al-Walid camp, on the Iraqi side of the Syrian border houses 1,549 refugees. Al-Tanf camp is also located on the border and includes 747 refugees. Al-Hol camp is in Syrian territory and houses 331 Palestinian refugees.

The National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, in a statement called on “the Syrian and the Jordanian governments to allow the entry of Palestinian refugees from Iraq and asked for their protection from persecution, and respect and protection for their human rights.”

In July the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it planned to move 98 Palestinians from Syria to a temporary “transit camp” in Slovakia.

Romania opened a similar camp last year, and the US, Chile, and several European countries have taken in many of the thousands of Palestinians who were stranded after the start of the US-led occupation of Iraq in 2003.

Many Palestinians originally settled in Iraq after they were expelled from Mandate Palestine by Zionist forces in the 1948 war that saw the creation of Israel. Others arrived in 1967 and in the 1990s. Before the 2003 invasion, UNHCR estimated there were 34,000 Palestinians in Iraq.

After continuous attacks by local Iraqis, the first of the Palestinians now in the Al-Walid border camp fled Baghdad in 2003 but were not allowed to enter Syria, according to UNHCR.

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