Palestinian refugees in Iraq call for unity

Saturday February 02, 2008 02:13 by IMEMC Staff

Palestinian refugee in Iraq, facing repeated attacks, abductions and killings, voiced an appeal to the Palestinian people in Palestine and to all factions in order to save them and place their issue as a high priority. The refugees called on all Palestinian factions to end the internal tension and to unite.

File- Palestinian Refugees in Iraq

In a letter that was written by the refugee in Iraq, they said that since the US occupation of Iraq in 2003, they have been subjected to murder, displacement and abductions carried by armed militias supported by the US forces.

The refugees added that they are also being attacked by the Iraqi police and military and other armed militias that came to Iraq.

“Every Palestinian refugee in Iraq is subjected to danger, either abduction or killing, we are surrounded and there are dozens of refugees who went missing long time ago and remained without a trace”, the refugees said in their statement, “We are being subjected to all of these violations, including torture and murder, and nobody is trying to help us”.

The statements also revealed that a large number of Palestinian refugees were abducted by the US army and are now in American and Iraqi run prisons, while others are missing.

Attacks against Palestinian neighborhoods in Iraq are still ongoing; some of these attacks are carried by armed militias while other attacks are carried by joint Iraqi and American forces.

Dozens of students stopped going to school or college in fear of abduction while most families had to sell their furniture in order to feed their children. Dozens of Palestinian employees were fired from their work as well.

Most of the refugees are now dependent on humanitarian aid as they lost their jobs, houses and shops, and dozens of families are now stranded on the Jordanian and Syrian border after their fled to save their families.

The refugees appealed in their letter all Palestinian factions to launch Arab and International campaigns to their relief, and to contact the Arab countries to open their borders for the refugees who had to flee from their homes and are living a new catastrophe.

They also appealed the UNRWA to intervene and provide them with the needed help and security.   

arab world | refugees/immigration | news report saed at imemc dot org