Palestinians in Iraq

infobox ethnic group
group = Palestinians in Iraq
poptime = 34,000 to 70,000
popplace = Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Baqubah
langs = Arabic
rels = Predominantly Sunni muslims with some Christians (mostly Roman Catholic).
related= Palestinian people

Palestinians in Iraq are people of Palestinian Arab ancestry residing in Iraq. The precise population is unclear since the 2003 Iraq war, as many have now fled fearing persuction because they were stereotyped as Saddam Hussein supporters. The approximate figure stands at 34,000, who have been living in Iraq since 1948. cite web | url =http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:dcvDHPYYA-0J:www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR26/FMR2609.pdf+palestinians+in+iraq&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=16&gl=uk | title =Palestinians in Iraq | accessdate =2007-08-14 | publisher =fmreview.org]

History

Palestinians came to Iraq in several waves, the first being 5,000 residents of Haifa and Jaffa and surrounding former Arab towns who immigrated in 1948, while others arrived after the 1967 war. The third wave of arrived after the Gulf War, when about 400,000 Palestinians were forced to leave Kuwait.cite web | url =http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:dcvDHPYYA-0J:www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR26/FMR2609.pdf+palestinians+in+iraq&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=16&gl=uk | title =Palestinians in Iraq | accessdate =2007-08-14 | publisher =fmreview.org]

Iraq is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention Act, so Palestinians did not receive formal refugee status by the Iraqi authorities. However, they were assisted by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The Palestinians were provided protection by the Iraqi government and enjoyed a high standard of treatment, guided by the Casablanca Protocol by the League of Arab States in 1965. They were issued with travel documents, had the right to work, granted full access to health, education and other government services and government-owned housing or a fixed rent charge on apartments.Unfortunately, in the aftermath of wars, the Palestinians along with their fellow Iraqi counterparts have experienced a decrease in living standards.

In July 2003, the UNHCR allocated 22,000 Palestinians in Baghdad. Others are known to be scattered throughout Basra, Mosul and other Iraqi cities, but for security situations they are prevented from being registered.

Current situation

Among other refugees in Iraq, Palestinians have felt the pressure about the increasingly difficult process of renewing their residence permits. Under the previous regime, Palestinians were not required to have residence permits but now have to face interrogation when renewing them every two months. It is required that they do so, as a lack of valid residency documents puts them at risk of harassment and arrest when informed to identify themselves at the checkpoints in Baghdad. UNHCR expressed concern in October 2005 by a statement from the Ministry of Displacement and Migration, suggesting an expulsion of Palestinians from Iraq to Gaza.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa on April 2006 forbidding any attacks on Palestinians.

2003 Iraq War

It has been reported that, ten Palestinians are believed to have been killed in an attack by militias in the Baghdad suburb of Baladiyat. However, in June 2006 the UNHCR confirmed the killing of eight Palestinians in Baladiyat, four in which were killed in an attack on the neighbourhood by militia. Local residents of the Palestinian refugee community in Baghdad claim that at least 150 Palestinians have been killed since May 2005.

Many Palestinian parents stopped sending their children to school or looking for work, amid fear of kidnapping or murder.

Approximately a thousand Palestinians fled Iraq after the fall of the former regime and were stranded between the border of Iraq and Jordan, and in Ruweished camp inside Jordan. In August 2003, Jordan accepted a group of 386 persons from mixed marriages. But many Palestinians returned to Baghdad, forced back by the harsh living conditions in the desert. On 29 May 2005, the people stranded, were moved into Ruweished, where an estimated 148 Palestinians still remain.

A small group of 19 Palestinians moved to the Syrian border in October 2005, where they were held stranded before being allowed to enter Syria one month later.

Palestinian neighborhoods such as al-Hurriyya and al-Baladiyyat in Baghdad have been bombarded and attacked ever since the war. In addition many were expelled from their homes and initially took shelter in Haifa stadium in Baghdad. [ [http://www.al-awdacal.org/iraq-facts.html Factsheet:Palestinian refugees in Iraq] ]

According to the UNHCR, about 21,000 have left the country since 2003, and only 13,000 remain.

Prominent Palestinians in Iraq

* Raed Jarrar, architect, blogger, and activist
* Raad Ghantous, interior designer
* Sama Raena Alshaibi, artist and photographer
* Jalal Toufic, artist
* Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi co-founder and chairman of Arab Media Watch
* Farrah Sarafa, poet
* Niz-r, rapper
* Khalid Jarrar, blogger and activist [ [http://jarrarsupariver.blogspot.com/2008/02/khalids-raised-ak-dance.html Iraqi Bloggers Central: Khalid's Raised-AK Dance ] ]
* Nada Shabout, art historian
* Rakad Salem, politician

ee also

*Arab diaspora

References