JORDAN DEPORTS PALESTINIAN REFUGEES FROM SYRIA

**‘The plight of the Palestinians is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about because everyone is already under such a burden to meet the needs of refugees from Syria.’**(Photo: MEMO)

Amman, 13 Shawwal 1435/9 Agustus 2014 (MINA) – Jordan deports and refuses entry to Palestinian refugees escaping the crisis in Syria, in clear breach of its international obligations, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released yesterday.

Jordan has officially banned entry to Palestinians from Syria since January 2013 and has forcibly deported over 100 Palestinians who entered the country since mid-2012, including women and children.

The 44-page report entitled “Not Welcome: Jordan’s Treatment of Palestinians Escaping Syria,” is based on interviews with more than 30 people affected by the non-admissions policy, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Saturday.

The report also documents the withdrawal of Jordanian citizenship from some Palestinians who had lived in Syria for many years, and who have been detained or deported to Syria without their documents. In contrast to Jordan’s uncompromising treatment of Palestinians fleeing Syria, the entry of Syrian nationals has been accepted widely in a number reaching at least 607,000, since the beginning of the Syrian conflict.

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Jordan’s discriminatory policy along with that of Lebanon tightens – if not eliminates – any possibility of flight of the 520,000 Palestinians taking refuge in Syria before the revolution.

“The plight of the Palestinians is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about because everyone is already under such a burden to meet the needs of refugees from Syria,” said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at HRW. “But no refugees fleeing the violence in Syria – Syrians and Palestinians alike – should be denied entry and forced back against their will.”

These policies leave thousands of Palestinians stuck facing great dangers. The Jordanian government should urgently withdraw its ban on Palestinian refugees and end the deportation of Palestinians from Syria, HRW said.

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Fayez Tarawneh, head of the Jordanian royal court and a former prime minister, defended the non-admittance policy in a meeting with HRW in May 2013, said a large influx of Palestinians from Syria would alter the demographic of the kingdom and cause “instability

Tarawneh said that he doubted Jordan’s ability to legally deport the Palestinians – a stateless group – back to Syria once the conflict there has concluded, if they were allowed refuge in Jordan.

As a result of the Jordanian government’s policy, many Palestinians from Syria do not have proper residency papers in Jordan, making them vulnerable to exploitation, arrest and deportation. Undocumented Palestinians from Syria dare not seek protection or redress from the Jordanian government against exploitation or other abuses. They cannot legally live in the official refugee camps established for Syrians, and they cannot legally work to earn money to rent housing outside the camps.

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Donor countries and local and international aid agencies have not adequately addressed the humanitarian concerns facing Palestinians, and few provide them with any humanitarian assistance. The 2014 Syria Regional Response Plan’s section on Jordan excludes Palestinians. The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), the local coordination mechanism for aid agencies working on Syria refugee response in Jordan chaired by UNHCR, does not discuss issues relating to Palestinians from Syria.

HRW has called on international donors and aid agencies to work together in order to ensure Palestinians from Syria receive humanitarian aid and protection support on a par with services offered to Syrian nationals in Jordan. (T/P08/E01)

Miraj Islamic News Agency (MINA)