L@mplighterM
07-12-2003, 07:53 AM
Palestinian Refugees in Iraq on Hunger Strike
Friday, July 11 2003 @ 06:56 PM GMT
"The toppling of the Iraqi government led to a backlash, after which thousands of landless Palestinians found themselves on the street .."
By Palestine Chronicle Staff
BAGHDAD (PC) - Hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Baghdad began a hunger strike with the hope that the international community would pay attention to their deteriorating conditions following the toppling of the Iraqi government of President Saddam Hussein.
There are at least 80 thousand Palestinian in Iraq, mostly refugees who driven out of their land in Palestine following the 1948 war, known to Palestinians as Nakba - or Catastrophe. An additional influx of refugees also joined the Palestinian population in Iraq following the Gulf War of 1991, mostly escaping violence directed against them in Kuwait.
Unlike the miserable conditions of Palestinian refugees in various Arab countries and under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinians living in Iraq, although not officially registered as refugees by the United Nations, were looked after by the Iraqi government, who provided them with subsidized housing and free health care.
However, the toppling of the Iraqi government led to a backlash, after which thousands of landless Palestinians found themselves on the street. The Haifa Sport Club in Baghdad has in fact become the newest Palestinian refugee camp. There, hundreds of Palestinians are living under miserable conditions, in extreme poverty and in tents donated by U.N. agencies.
According to al-Jazeera reporter in Baghdad, the Palestinian families sheltering in the club are now going hungry so that the international community, busy deliberating the future of Iraq, may notices their plight.
With nowhere to go, hundreds of Palestinian families in Baghdad are receiving notices from their landlords to evacuate their dwellings, so that they can be advertised for a much higher price tags.
Analysts say that the latest Palestinian dilemma in Iraq highlights the fact that the problem of Palestinian refugees can only be resolved when the refugees are allowed to return to their homes in Palestine, in accordance with international law.
Meanwhile, the U.N. refugees agency has declared its intention to register 80 thousand Palestinians in Iraq as official refugees.
Most Palestinians in Iraq live in the greater Baghdad area, with a smaller concentration living in the north of the country.
http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=20030711185626326
I guess that Iraq didn’t see fit to declare these individuals Iraqi citizens. It seems that other oil rich Arab states don’t want to touch them with a 10 foot pole. I wonder if these individuals will somehow find themselves in the WB and GS sometimes in the future.
Friday, July 11 2003 @ 06:56 PM GMT
"The toppling of the Iraqi government led to a backlash, after which thousands of landless Palestinians found themselves on the street .."
By Palestine Chronicle Staff
BAGHDAD (PC) - Hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Baghdad began a hunger strike with the hope that the international community would pay attention to their deteriorating conditions following the toppling of the Iraqi government of President Saddam Hussein.
There are at least 80 thousand Palestinian in Iraq, mostly refugees who driven out of their land in Palestine following the 1948 war, known to Palestinians as Nakba - or Catastrophe. An additional influx of refugees also joined the Palestinian population in Iraq following the Gulf War of 1991, mostly escaping violence directed against them in Kuwait.
Unlike the miserable conditions of Palestinian refugees in various Arab countries and under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinians living in Iraq, although not officially registered as refugees by the United Nations, were looked after by the Iraqi government, who provided them with subsidized housing and free health care.
However, the toppling of the Iraqi government led to a backlash, after which thousands of landless Palestinians found themselves on the street. The Haifa Sport Club in Baghdad has in fact become the newest Palestinian refugee camp. There, hundreds of Palestinians are living under miserable conditions, in extreme poverty and in tents donated by U.N. agencies.
According to al-Jazeera reporter in Baghdad, the Palestinian families sheltering in the club are now going hungry so that the international community, busy deliberating the future of Iraq, may notices their plight.
With nowhere to go, hundreds of Palestinian families in Baghdad are receiving notices from their landlords to evacuate their dwellings, so that they can be advertised for a much higher price tags.
Analysts say that the latest Palestinian dilemma in Iraq highlights the fact that the problem of Palestinian refugees can only be resolved when the refugees are allowed to return to their homes in Palestine, in accordance with international law.
Meanwhile, the U.N. refugees agency has declared its intention to register 80 thousand Palestinians in Iraq as official refugees.
Most Palestinians in Iraq live in the greater Baghdad area, with a smaller concentration living in the north of the country.
http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=20030711185626326
I guess that Iraq didn’t see fit to declare these individuals Iraqi citizens. It seems that other oil rich Arab states don’t want to touch them with a 10 foot pole. I wonder if these individuals will somehow find themselves in the WB and GS sometimes in the future.