19 mar 2013
8 Palestinians killed, 250 families appeal for urgent help in Syria
Eight Palestinians were killed on Monday in refugee camps in Syria, while 250 Palestinian families in Hamdania neighborhood in Homs city appealed to save their lives and secure their safe exit from the area.
In a report, the action group for the Palestinians in Syria stated that two children, Farahat Mubarak and Hisham Namrawi, among four others were killed in Al-Yarmouk refugee camp, while two others were killed in Al-Husseiniya camp.
The action group also said that the intensity of the firing and bombing in Hamdania neighborhood prompted 250 Palestinian families to appeal for help to stop the shelling in their area and enable them to move out safely.
According to the group, different refugee camps, especially Al-Yarmouk and Al-Husseiniya, were exposed during the last two days to intensive projectile attacks by the Syrian regime forces.
The regime forces still impose a tight blockade on the access of fuel, food and medical supplies to the Palestinian refugee camps, the group noted.
Action group: 32 Palestinians killed in Syria in one week
The action group for Palestinians in Syria said that 32 Palestinian refugees were killed in Syria in the period 9-15 March at the hands of the Syrian regular army. The group said in a documented report on Tuesday that seven Palestinians were arrested and five went missing in the same period.
The report said that the refugee camps were experiencing very difficult living conditions due to the continued shelling in addition to shortage of basic materials due to the continued military siege.
It said that most hospitals and medical centers in those refugee camps especially Yarmouk, Husseiniya, Sabbina, and Nairab were closed due to the unavailability of medical supplies.
In a report, the action group for the Palestinians in Syria stated that two children, Farahat Mubarak and Hisham Namrawi, among four others were killed in Al-Yarmouk refugee camp, while two others were killed in Al-Husseiniya camp.
The action group also said that the intensity of the firing and bombing in Hamdania neighborhood prompted 250 Palestinian families to appeal for help to stop the shelling in their area and enable them to move out safely.
According to the group, different refugee camps, especially Al-Yarmouk and Al-Husseiniya, were exposed during the last two days to intensive projectile attacks by the Syrian regime forces.
The regime forces still impose a tight blockade on the access of fuel, food and medical supplies to the Palestinian refugee camps, the group noted.
Action group: 32 Palestinians killed in Syria in one week
The action group for Palestinians in Syria said that 32 Palestinian refugees were killed in Syria in the period 9-15 March at the hands of the Syrian regular army. The group said in a documented report on Tuesday that seven Palestinians were arrested and five went missing in the same period.
The report said that the refugee camps were experiencing very difficult living conditions due to the continued shelling in addition to shortage of basic materials due to the continued military siege.
It said that most hospitals and medical centers in those refugee camps especially Yarmouk, Husseiniya, Sabbina, and Nairab were closed due to the unavailability of medical supplies.
17 mar 2013
10 Palestinians killed in attacks on refugee camps in Syria
10 Palestinian refugees were killed on Saturday in projectile attacks launched by the Syrian regime forces on populated areas in some refugee camps in Damascus countryside. Al-Quds newspaper reported that seven Palestinians were killed in Al-Husseiniya camp when a projectile hit a building located on Surour street.
The newspaper elaborated that the force of the impact caused fragments from the explosion to hit a car parked down the building, which led to its burning and the killing of three Palestinians aboard it.
The explosion also killed four women and children who were passing by.
Two other Palestinians were also killed when they got caught in the crossfire on Yakoub street in Al-Husseiniya camp.
In Sayeda Zeinab refugee camp, an elderly man named Khalil Saleh was killed and four others were wounded in different projectile attacks on the camp by the Syrian regime forces.
The newspaper elaborated that the force of the impact caused fragments from the explosion to hit a car parked down the building, which led to its burning and the killing of three Palestinians aboard it.
The explosion also killed four women and children who were passing by.
Two other Palestinians were also killed when they got caught in the crossfire on Yakoub street in Al-Husseiniya camp.
In Sayeda Zeinab refugee camp, an elderly man named Khalil Saleh was killed and four others were wounded in different projectile attacks on the camp by the Syrian regime forces.
16 mar 2013
Action group: Palestinian refugees of Syria are still under attack and blockade
The action group for the Palestinians in Syria said that many Palestinian refugee camps saw the fall of dozens of projectiles and mortar shells on Friday, especially Khan Younis camp. In a report, the action group stated that Khan Younis camp saw in early morning hours a massive exodus of families as a result of the intensive shelling before the Syrian regime forces closed the roads and barred more refugees from leaving.
Its report said that the regime forces kidnapped Saeed Abu Hamid, head of the Palestinian refugees bureau in Al-Raml camp of Latakia city, during his presence in the general society for refugees.
Another Palestinian refugee named Mahmoud Azima from Al-Yarmouk was also reported missing.
Several projectile attacks on Al-Yarmouk refugee camp were reported, one of them caused material damage to the house of Al-Dalul famil.
A mother and her child from Al-Hamzat family suffered injuries when a sniper from the regime forces shot them as they were out to buy some bread.
In the morning, the regime forces embarked on searching all Palestinian refugees going in or out of Al-Yarmouk camp and prevented the access of cars, including vehicles carrying food and medical supplies.
In Al-Sabina camp, a number of Palestinian refugees sustained injuries when a projectile fell near the UNRWA youth center.
Sabina refugees still suffer from a tight blockade imposed by the regime forces on all vital needs.
A massive fire also reportedly broke out at the entrance of Dara'a refugee camp with no one knowing the reason that caused it, while the presence of snipers at the scene dissuaded anyone from approaching to extinguish the blaze.
Other refugee camps, like Al-Husseiniya, Al-Neirab and Handarat, also suffer from a severe economic crisis and a tight siege imposed on all aspects of life.
Its report said that the regime forces kidnapped Saeed Abu Hamid, head of the Palestinian refugees bureau in Al-Raml camp of Latakia city, during his presence in the general society for refugees.
Another Palestinian refugee named Mahmoud Azima from Al-Yarmouk was also reported missing.
Several projectile attacks on Al-Yarmouk refugee camp were reported, one of them caused material damage to the house of Al-Dalul famil.
A mother and her child from Al-Hamzat family suffered injuries when a sniper from the regime forces shot them as they were out to buy some bread.
In the morning, the regime forces embarked on searching all Palestinian refugees going in or out of Al-Yarmouk camp and prevented the access of cars, including vehicles carrying food and medical supplies.
In Al-Sabina camp, a number of Palestinian refugees sustained injuries when a projectile fell near the UNRWA youth center.
Sabina refugees still suffer from a tight blockade imposed by the regime forces on all vital needs.
A massive fire also reportedly broke out at the entrance of Dara'a refugee camp with no one knowing the reason that caused it, while the presence of snipers at the scene dissuaded anyone from approaching to extinguish the blaze.
Other refugee camps, like Al-Husseiniya, Al-Neirab and Handarat, also suffer from a severe economic crisis and a tight siege imposed on all aspects of life.
14 mar 2013
Seven Palestinian refugees killed in Syria including two children
Seven Palestinian refugees were killed in Syria over the past 24 hours as shells continued to blast refugee camps in various areas. The workgroup for Palestinians in Syria said in a statement on Thursday that around 200 bombs slammed into Khan Al-Sheeh refugee camp killing a young man and two children.
It said that the two children were brothers, adding that the shelling wounded dozens others in the camp and inflicted big material damage to buildings.
Three other Palestinians were killed in another shelling that targeted Yarmouk refugee camp while a fourth was killed in Khalidiya in Homs, adding that he was from Aydoon refugee camp.
The group pointed out that inhabitants in Khan Al-Sheeh camp, 25 kilometers west of Damascus, captured a man after he detonated a booby-trapped car in front of the police station in the camp inflicting light injuries on a number of citizens.
It said that the two children were brothers, adding that the shelling wounded dozens others in the camp and inflicted big material damage to buildings.
Three other Palestinians were killed in another shelling that targeted Yarmouk refugee camp while a fourth was killed in Khalidiya in Homs, adding that he was from Aydoon refugee camp.
The group pointed out that inhabitants in Khan Al-Sheeh camp, 25 kilometers west of Damascus, captured a man after he detonated a booby-trapped car in front of the police station in the camp inflicting light injuries on a number of citizens.
13 mar 2013
Six Palestinians killed in Syria half of them of one family
Six Palestinians were killed in Syria on Tuesday including three of one family when they were targeted by Syrian regular army gunfire. Sources in the Yarmouk refugee camp, south of the capital Damascus, said that a grenade was tossed at a group of people while trying to enter the camp killing one of them.
They said that the man, Mohammed Shamut, was instantly killed while others were wounded, adding that his son Issam and his cousin Amin tried to pull his body but bullets were fired at them also killing them on the spot.
The sources said that three young men were killed in the camp’s sports city while playing. They said that shelling on the sports stadium killed Mustafa Daraji, Mazen Shihabi, and Mohammed Addad. They said that at least 14 other young men were injured in the shelling.
They said that the man, Mohammed Shamut, was instantly killed while others were wounded, adding that his son Issam and his cousin Amin tried to pull his body but bullets were fired at them also killing them on the spot.
The sources said that three young men were killed in the camp’s sports city while playing. They said that shelling on the sports stadium killed Mustafa Daraji, Mazen Shihabi, and Mohammed Addad. They said that at least 14 other young men were injured in the shelling.
Foreign Ministry addresses Ki-moon about issue of Palestinian refugees
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent on Tuesday morning a letter to Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, to address the Israeli occupation's efforts to change the definition of “Palestinian refugee”.
The ministry has strongly condemned the occupation's unremitting efforts to kill the legal and legitimate right of the Palestinians and their children to return to their homeland from which they had been forcibly displaced in 1948 and 1967.
The Foreign Ministry called on the United Nations to stop the Israeli occupation efforts that try to obliterate the issue of an entire people through violating the international laws and resolutions.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor has announced on Sunday evening that Israel is exerting efforts to change the legal definition of Palestinian refugees and repeal the status of ''refugees'' from sons of those refugees who were forced to leave Palestine in 1948.
The ministry has strongly condemned the occupation's unremitting efforts to kill the legal and legitimate right of the Palestinians and their children to return to their homeland from which they had been forcibly displaced in 1948 and 1967.
The Foreign Ministry called on the United Nations to stop the Israeli occupation efforts that try to obliterate the issue of an entire people through violating the international laws and resolutions.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor has announced on Sunday evening that Israel is exerting efforts to change the legal definition of Palestinian refugees and repeal the status of ''refugees'' from sons of those refugees who were forced to leave Palestine in 1948.
12 mar 2013
Palestinian killed in shooting in Lebanon refugee camp
A Palestinian man was killed and others were injured in a shooting incident in Ein El-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon on Monday night.
The shooting that also witnessed the firing of an RPG and other projectiles caused material damage to houses and shops other than spreading panic among the inhabitants.
The Palestinian society for human rights “Rased” held the Palestinian factions responsible for the security chaos in the camp, demanding an immediate end to such practices.
The Beirut-based society said in a press release on Tuesday that lives and interests of refugees should be put above any other consideration, warning of possible targeting of refugee camps and the right of return, “which represent the crux of the Palestine cause”.
The shooting that also witnessed the firing of an RPG and other projectiles caused material damage to houses and shops other than spreading panic among the inhabitants.
The Palestinian society for human rights “Rased” held the Palestinian factions responsible for the security chaos in the camp, demanding an immediate end to such practices.
The Beirut-based society said in a press release on Tuesday that lives and interests of refugees should be put above any other consideration, warning of possible targeting of refugee camps and the right of return, “which represent the crux of the Palestine cause”.
Action group: Two Palestinian refugees died yesterday in Yarmouk camp
The action group for the Palestinians in Syria said that two Palestinian refugees were killed on Monday in Al-Yarmouk refugee camp. The action group explained that Samer Al-Nader was killed during a projectile attack on Al-Yarmouk camp, while Khalil Mousa died of serious wounds he had sustained three days ago in a mortar attack on the same camp.
It added that a number of citizens, including a child, also sustained injuries during the attacks on the refugee camp yesterday.
The Syrian regime forces have been imposing a tight blockade on the camp for 84 days and preventing the access of many vital needs.
Other refugee camps in Syria like Al-Husseiniya and Khan Younis also see daily attacks and are tightly besieged by the regime forces.
In a related context, the homeless children campaign said that about 450 homes in Al-Yarmouk camp are completely destroyed and uninhabitable, while more than 500 others sustained partial damage, affirming that about 1,000 Palestinian families have no homes even if they decide to return to the camp.
It added that a number of citizens, including a child, also sustained injuries during the attacks on the refugee camp yesterday.
The Syrian regime forces have been imposing a tight blockade on the camp for 84 days and preventing the access of many vital needs.
Other refugee camps in Syria like Al-Husseiniya and Khan Younis also see daily attacks and are tightly besieged by the regime forces.
In a related context, the homeless children campaign said that about 450 homes in Al-Yarmouk camp are completely destroyed and uninhabitable, while more than 500 others sustained partial damage, affirming that about 1,000 Palestinian families have no homes even if they decide to return to the camp.
Islamic-Christian Committee warns of manipulating definition of refugees
Dr. Hanna Issa, Secretary General of Islamic-Christian Committee to support Jerusalem and holy sites, warned of Israeli tireless efforts to change the legal formula that defines "Palestinian refugees", in order to strip Palestinians who have been displaced from their land in 1948 of this status. The Professor of International Law said, on Tuesday, that the issue of Palestinian refugees represents one of the most prominent phenomena in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It is a hot topic in the world, as it combines religious, national, humanitarian, legal and existential factors.
He considered the Israeli attempts to change the Palestinian refugee status a blatant violation of the international charters, laws and norms, and called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to find an urgent solution to solve the Palestinian refugee problem.
He has also called for rejecting all the Israeli allegations and policies that have displaced Palestinians and stolen their land, and considered these practices a continuation of the abuses committed against the Palestinian refugees.
Dr. Hanna Issa called on every Palestinian and every refugee not to give up the "Palestinian refugee" status and the right of return and compensation, and stressed that any final political solution to the Palestinian issue must be accompanied by a solution to the Palestinian refugees' issue, ensuring their right of return and self-determination.
He added that the right of the Palestinian refugees is a collective right, and not only an individual right.
He considered the Israeli attempts to change the Palestinian refugee status a blatant violation of the international charters, laws and norms, and called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to find an urgent solution to solve the Palestinian refugee problem.
He has also called for rejecting all the Israeli allegations and policies that have displaced Palestinians and stolen their land, and considered these practices a continuation of the abuses committed against the Palestinian refugees.
Dr. Hanna Issa called on every Palestinian and every refugee not to give up the "Palestinian refugee" status and the right of return and compensation, and stressed that any final political solution to the Palestinian issue must be accompanied by a solution to the Palestinian refugees' issue, ensuring their right of return and self-determination.
He added that the right of the Palestinian refugees is a collective right, and not only an individual right.
Zahhar: No one can change the Palestinian refugees' right to return
Member of Hamas's political bureau Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said that Israel's attempts to end the UN classification of the Palestinian refugees would be doomed to failure because the sense of belonging to Palestine is deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of its generations. "The Palestinian refugee is a citizen forcibly displaced from his land and his return is one of the constants that cannot be controlled by the occupation; it is sacred like our faith," Zahhar stated in a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC).
"All the envoys in the universe cannot take away the sense of belonging from the hearts of the Palestinians or their right to their land and holy sites. Such attempts are bankrupt acts and reflect the Israeli occupation's feeling that it is an alien entity having no future on our land," the Hamas official stressed.
"Our grandfathers were once in their land and their grandchildren will return to it no matter how long it takes," he underscored.
For its part, the Jordanian society for refugees warned Israel of its attempts to have the US and the UN to draft legislations meant to end the automatic transfer of refugee status to the descendants of Palestinian refugees.
"The Palestinian refugee status that applies to anyone who emigrated from Palestine as a result of the Israeli occupation as well as to their children and grandchildren as approved by the UN general assembly and adopted by the UNRWA since the time of the Nakba in 1948 cannot be manipulated or changed under any pretext," the society stated on Monday.
"The two-state solution or any other political solution cannot be associated with the right of return because it is an independent, legal, political and humanitarian right individually and collectively, and no one, whoever he is, can change or waive it, not even the international organization (UN) itself."
"Nobody in this universe has the right to deny any human the right to their land and country, unless he is subject to the logic of injustice, oppression and brute force," the society emphasized.
Israeli envoy to the UN Ron Prosor had stated on Sunday that there were Israeli moves to urge the US and the UN to end the automatic transfer of refugee status to the descendants of the Palestinians who had been exposed to forced migration 65 years ago.
The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post quoted Prosor as saying that the UN classification of the Palestinian refugees was the principal stumbling block to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian liberation organization (PLO).
"All the envoys in the universe cannot take away the sense of belonging from the hearts of the Palestinians or their right to their land and holy sites. Such attempts are bankrupt acts and reflect the Israeli occupation's feeling that it is an alien entity having no future on our land," the Hamas official stressed.
"Our grandfathers were once in their land and their grandchildren will return to it no matter how long it takes," he underscored.
For its part, the Jordanian society for refugees warned Israel of its attempts to have the US and the UN to draft legislations meant to end the automatic transfer of refugee status to the descendants of Palestinian refugees.
"The Palestinian refugee status that applies to anyone who emigrated from Palestine as a result of the Israeli occupation as well as to their children and grandchildren as approved by the UN general assembly and adopted by the UNRWA since the time of the Nakba in 1948 cannot be manipulated or changed under any pretext," the society stated on Monday.
"The two-state solution or any other political solution cannot be associated with the right of return because it is an independent, legal, political and humanitarian right individually and collectively, and no one, whoever he is, can change or waive it, not even the international organization (UN) itself."
"Nobody in this universe has the right to deny any human the right to their land and country, unless he is subject to the logic of injustice, oppression and brute force," the society emphasized.
Israeli envoy to the UN Ron Prosor had stated on Sunday that there were Israeli moves to urge the US and the UN to end the automatic transfer of refugee status to the descendants of the Palestinians who had been exposed to forced migration 65 years ago.
The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post quoted Prosor as saying that the UN classification of the Palestinian refugees was the principal stumbling block to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian liberation organization (PLO).
11 mar 2013
Hamas: We will not allow any change affecting Palestinian refugee definition
Department of Refugee Affairs in Hamas said that it will not allow any manipulation that may affect the definition and formula of the Palestinian refugee in international conventions.
The Department said in a statement on Monday that the occupation authorities are seeking through the United Nations to change the legal formula that defines the Palestinian refugees and to repeal ''refugee formula'' from sons of refugees who were forced to leave Palestine in 1948.
It pointed out that Israel had already made effort to draft legislation in the United States that end the automatic transfer of refugee status to their sons, which has been applying since 1948.
The Department of Refugee Affairs stressed that inheriting this status (of refugee) from one generation to another is natural, pointing out that Israel itself claims it has inherited the right to "return" to Palestine from "their ancestors" two thousand years ago!!
The statement reviewed the role of the United Nations in the establishment of the Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which provides stability to the refugees until finding a solution to their problem. Thus any manipulation of refugee status, future and rights means confusing the region and the world.
It called on the UN and UNRWA to reject these irresponsible demands, stressing that Hamas and all the Palestinian resistance movements will not stand idly and will protect the Palestinian inalienable rights.
Israeli representative in the United Nations, Ron Lopressor, announced yesterday Israeli efforts to change the legal formula of Palestinian refugees and repeal the definition of '' refugees'' from sons of those refugees who were forced to leave Palestine in 1948.
The Israeli newspaper “the Jerusalem Post” quoted Lopressor as saying that "the main obstacle before peace process is the right of return for Palestinian refugees and not the settlements."
The Department said in a statement on Monday that the occupation authorities are seeking through the United Nations to change the legal formula that defines the Palestinian refugees and to repeal ''refugee formula'' from sons of refugees who were forced to leave Palestine in 1948.
It pointed out that Israel had already made effort to draft legislation in the United States that end the automatic transfer of refugee status to their sons, which has been applying since 1948.
The Department of Refugee Affairs stressed that inheriting this status (of refugee) from one generation to another is natural, pointing out that Israel itself claims it has inherited the right to "return" to Palestine from "their ancestors" two thousand years ago!!
The statement reviewed the role of the United Nations in the establishment of the Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which provides stability to the refugees until finding a solution to their problem. Thus any manipulation of refugee status, future and rights means confusing the region and the world.
It called on the UN and UNRWA to reject these irresponsible demands, stressing that Hamas and all the Palestinian resistance movements will not stand idly and will protect the Palestinian inalienable rights.
Israeli representative in the United Nations, Ron Lopressor, announced yesterday Israeli efforts to change the legal formula of Palestinian refugees and repeal the definition of '' refugees'' from sons of those refugees who were forced to leave Palestine in 1948.
The Israeli newspaper “the Jerusalem Post” quoted Lopressor as saying that "the main obstacle before peace process is the right of return for Palestinian refugees and not the settlements."
Six Palestinian refugees killed in Syria including child
Six Palestinians were killed over the past few hours in Syria as a result of the continued shelling and attacks on their refugee camps. The workgroup for Palestinians in Syria said in a statement on Monday that Adham Issa was killed at the hands of a sniper while heading to university from his Nairab refugee camp.
It added that Hussam Suleiman, from Yarmouk refugee camp, succumbed to wounds suffered in an explosion of a shell that slammed into the camp last Saturday.
Ahmed Al-Kurdi was killed and 16 others were wounded in the Syrian regular army’s intensive shelling of Al-Husseiniya refugee camp in rural Damascus, the group said.
It pointed out that the child Hiba Ahmed from Teiba town next to Danun refugee camp was killed in the shelling on the town.
Another youth, Ahmed Al-Khalaf, from Al-Husseiniya refugee camp was killed when a bomb blasted near an UNRWA school.
The workgroup said that the old man, Hassan Al-Basha, succumbed to his injuries sustained when the Syrian army shelled his house in the Yarmouk refugee camp a few weeks ago.
It added that Hussam Suleiman, from Yarmouk refugee camp, succumbed to wounds suffered in an explosion of a shell that slammed into the camp last Saturday.
Ahmed Al-Kurdi was killed and 16 others were wounded in the Syrian regular army’s intensive shelling of Al-Husseiniya refugee camp in rural Damascus, the group said.
It pointed out that the child Hiba Ahmed from Teiba town next to Danun refugee camp was killed in the shelling on the town.
Another youth, Ahmed Al-Khalaf, from Al-Husseiniya refugee camp was killed when a bomb blasted near an UNRWA school.
The workgroup said that the old man, Hassan Al-Basha, succumbed to his injuries sustained when the Syrian army shelled his house in the Yarmouk refugee camp a few weeks ago.
10 mar 2013
Israeli officials to pressure UN to negate Palestinian right of return
A group of right-wing Zionists met with the Israeli ambassador the the United Nations on Thursday in New York to put together a plan to pressure the United Nations to revoke the internationally-recognized right of return of Palestinian refugees who were forced from their homes in what is now Israel in 1948 and 1967.
Daniel Pipes, the head of the extreme right 'Middle East Forum' based in Philadelphia which helped organize the session, told participants in the meeting that the United Nations' approach to the rights of Palestinian refugees “creates a narrative of victimhood” and “promotes extremism”. Despite the fact that Palestinian refugees have the same rights as any other displaced population in the world, Pipes did not make this claim about other refugee populations, but only about the Palestinians.
The strategy session came just ahead of a press conference planned to take place on Monday by Filippo Grandi, the commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), in which Grandi will make the case that Palestinian refugees are a 'forgotten population', and will urge that action be taken to address the Palestinian refugee crisis.
According to a recent report by human rights group BADIL, which was published in December 2012 after ten years of research, “At the end of 2011, there were at least 7.4 million displaced Palestinians representing 66 percent of the entire Palestinian population (11.2 million) worldwide”. This makes the Palestinian refugees the largest refugee population in the world.
The report found that “The vast majority of Palestinian refugees (5.8 million) are those who were forced from their lands during the 1948 ethnic cleansing and their descendants. Of these, 4.8 million are registered with the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA). A further million Palestinians are refugees as a result of the 1967 War and there are more than half a million internally displaced Palestinians on both side of the Green Line (the 1949 armistice line marking the boundary between Israel and the occupied West Bank).”
At Thursday's strategy session in New York, calling for the negation of the internationally-recognized right of return for Palestinian refugees, Ron Prosor, the Israeli representative to the United Nations, told the participants that “the real obstacle [to peace] is the right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees”, adding, “The refugee problem is the main obstacle to peace, not settlements.”
Former Israeli Knesset (Parliament) Member Einat Wilf also spoke at the meeting, telling participants that it is important to “debunk the myth” that there are Palestinian refugees living in tents, and criticized the European Union for promoting the Palestinian refugees right of return.
Palestinian refugees living in camps in Lebanon are forbidden from constructing permanent housing, and are denied jobs, freedom of movement and citizenship. Most camps in the West Bank and Gaza, which began as tents in the early 1950s, have become crowded tenements with housing constructed in a haphazard way, usually with new units built on top of existing structures.
In addition to putting together a plan to pressure the United Nations to deny Palestinian refugees their rights, the group that gathered Thursday in New York also promised to draft legislation to be introduced in the U-S Congress that would challenge the refugee status of any Palestinian born to refugee parents.
The participants in the meeting, while vehemently denying that Palestinian refugees have a right to return to homes that many still hold the deeds and keys for, did not question the Israeli law authorizing the 'right of return' to any person with a Jewish grandparent, from anywhere in the world, to Israel. This law is justified by the Israeli government based on the claim that Jewish people were expelled from what was then Palestine by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago.
Thursday's strategy session follows a statement issued in January by a group of prominent Jewish scholars and activists in the U-S, Europe, Australia and Israel called “Jews for the Palestinian Right of Return”, which calls for one democratic state in the land of Israel and Palestine, and says “supporters of social justice must ask themselves how they can defend a state whose very existence depends on structural denial of Palestinian rights.”
Daniel Pipes, the head of the extreme right 'Middle East Forum' based in Philadelphia which helped organize the session, told participants in the meeting that the United Nations' approach to the rights of Palestinian refugees “creates a narrative of victimhood” and “promotes extremism”. Despite the fact that Palestinian refugees have the same rights as any other displaced population in the world, Pipes did not make this claim about other refugee populations, but only about the Palestinians.
The strategy session came just ahead of a press conference planned to take place on Monday by Filippo Grandi, the commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), in which Grandi will make the case that Palestinian refugees are a 'forgotten population', and will urge that action be taken to address the Palestinian refugee crisis.
According to a recent report by human rights group BADIL, which was published in December 2012 after ten years of research, “At the end of 2011, there were at least 7.4 million displaced Palestinians representing 66 percent of the entire Palestinian population (11.2 million) worldwide”. This makes the Palestinian refugees the largest refugee population in the world.
The report found that “The vast majority of Palestinian refugees (5.8 million) are those who were forced from their lands during the 1948 ethnic cleansing and their descendants. Of these, 4.8 million are registered with the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA). A further million Palestinians are refugees as a result of the 1967 War and there are more than half a million internally displaced Palestinians on both side of the Green Line (the 1949 armistice line marking the boundary between Israel and the occupied West Bank).”
At Thursday's strategy session in New York, calling for the negation of the internationally-recognized right of return for Palestinian refugees, Ron Prosor, the Israeli representative to the United Nations, told the participants that “the real obstacle [to peace] is the right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees”, adding, “The refugee problem is the main obstacle to peace, not settlements.”
Former Israeli Knesset (Parliament) Member Einat Wilf also spoke at the meeting, telling participants that it is important to “debunk the myth” that there are Palestinian refugees living in tents, and criticized the European Union for promoting the Palestinian refugees right of return.
Palestinian refugees living in camps in Lebanon are forbidden from constructing permanent housing, and are denied jobs, freedom of movement and citizenship. Most camps in the West Bank and Gaza, which began as tents in the early 1950s, have become crowded tenements with housing constructed in a haphazard way, usually with new units built on top of existing structures.
In addition to putting together a plan to pressure the United Nations to deny Palestinian refugees their rights, the group that gathered Thursday in New York also promised to draft legislation to be introduced in the U-S Congress that would challenge the refugee status of any Palestinian born to refugee parents.
The participants in the meeting, while vehemently denying that Palestinian refugees have a right to return to homes that many still hold the deeds and keys for, did not question the Israeli law authorizing the 'right of return' to any person with a Jewish grandparent, from anywhere in the world, to Israel. This law is justified by the Israeli government based on the claim that Jewish people were expelled from what was then Palestine by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago.
Thursday's strategy session follows a statement issued in January by a group of prominent Jewish scholars and activists in the U-S, Europe, Australia and Israel called “Jews for the Palestinian Right of Return”, which calls for one democratic state in the land of Israel and Palestine, and says “supporters of social justice must ask themselves how they can defend a state whose very existence depends on structural denial of Palestinian rights.”
Report: Lebanon plans to block entry of Palestinian refugees from Syria
The workgroup for Palestinians in Syria has warned of Lebanese plans to block entry of Palestinian refugees from Syria into Lebanon. The workgroup warned in a press release on Sunday that any such procedure would double the suffering of those refugees in Syria.
It said that a “special source” told the group that the Lebanese general security was planning to issue directives to that effect.
A number of Palestinian refugees, who reached Lebanon from Syria recently, sent messages to the workgroup telling of very bad treatment at the borders on the part of the Lebanese crossings officials and in official circles.
It said that a “special source” told the group that the Lebanese general security was planning to issue directives to that effect.
A number of Palestinian refugees, who reached Lebanon from Syria recently, sent messages to the workgroup telling of very bad treatment at the borders on the part of the Lebanese crossings officials and in official circles.
Four Palestinian refugees killed in Syria
Four Palestinian refugees were killed in Syria on Saturday as a result of the shelling on refugee camps in that war-torn Arab country. Local newspaper Al-Quds on Sunday quoted “special sources” as saying that around 50 bombs slammed into Khan Al-Sheikh refugee camp near the capital Damascus.
Two Palestinian women were killed in the shelling while 34 Palestinians and Syrians were wounded in the same incident, the paper added.
It said that a Palestinian youth was killed in Diraa refugee camp with shrapnel of a bomb that exploded in the camp.
The paper said that the Syrian security delivered the body of a young man, Mohammed Bakla, to his relatives. It added that Bakla was detained by the Syrian security six months ago and returned to his family in Yarmouk refugee camp a dead body.
Two Palestinian women were killed in the shelling while 34 Palestinians and Syrians were wounded in the same incident, the paper added.
It said that a Palestinian youth was killed in Diraa refugee camp with shrapnel of a bomb that exploded in the camp.
The paper said that the Syrian security delivered the body of a young man, Mohammed Bakla, to his relatives. It added that Bakla was detained by the Syrian security six months ago and returned to his family in Yarmouk refugee camp a dead body.
7 mar 2013
12 Palestinian refugees killed in Syria within 24 hours
Activists in Palestinian refugee camps in Syria said on Thursday that 12 Palestinians were killed in those camps as a result of shelling and attacks over the past 24 hours. The workgroup for Palestinians in Syria said in a statement that ten Palestinians were killed and 17 others were wounded when shells slammed into the southeastern areas of Sabbina refugee camp.
It said that the shells fell on houses and a main market in the refugee camp on Wednesday.
They said that two others were killed in separate incidents.
The workgroup recalled that five refugees were killed in Sabbina camp on Tuesday bringing the number of those killed to 15 within a couple of days in that camp.
It said that the shells fell on houses and a main market in the refugee camp on Wednesday.
They said that two others were killed in separate incidents.
The workgroup recalled that five refugees were killed in Sabbina camp on Tuesday bringing the number of those killed to 15 within a couple of days in that camp.
