Editorial
As the number of refugees fleeing Syria increases by the day and the gaps in protection continue to widen, Syrian refugees are not receiving adequate protection in the host countries, and Palestinian refugees from Syria are particularly suffering from secondary displacement and discrimination.
This issue of al-Majdal is the
second half of a two-issue focus on Palestinian refugees in/from
Syria. In the previous issue we covered the situation of
Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon and Jordan. In this
issue we present an account of their situation in Syria, Egypt and
Turkey. These two publications provide the most up-to-date data on
Palestinian Refugees in and from Syria, those who remain in Syria
and those who fled to neighboring countries. This issue addresses
the obstacles and protection gaps Palestinian refugees from Syria
suffer from when they are displaced inside Syria, and when trying
to escape to other countries. We give an account of the widespread
internal displacement and a special focus on the circumstances
surrounding al-Yarmouk refugee camp. At the time of the editing of
this issue, al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus was being attacked
by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al-Nusra Front,
and other Islamic militias.[3] This issue also includes two
sections on Egypt and Turkey with different accounts and an
overview of the situation of Palestinian refugees in those
countries.
There were 560,000 Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA in Syria when the conflict erupted. By April 2015, at least 80,000 have been forced to leave the country. 44,000 found their way into Lebanon and 15,000 into Jordan before these countries closed their borders to Palestinian refugees from Syria. Of the 480,000 Palestinian refugees remaining in the country, 280,000 are internally displaced, and 95% are in continuous need of humanitarian assistance. |
The level of protection provided to
Palestinian refugees under Arab regional and national instruments
and mechanisms is significantly low. All host states are obliged to
protect Palestinian refugees in accordance with the international
standards set by the human rights conventions they are party to,
and under international law. Most states, however, fail to protect
Palestinian refugees according to these standards. This issue grows
more important as instability increases in states hosting
Palestinian refugees. Palestinians face new dangers in their host
states that render them unable to remain in their present place of
refuge or to return to their places of origin long since
dispossessed by Israel.
Since Israel is the only state from which Palestinian refugees
originated, it is their only state of origin and thus is required
under international law to allow these refugees to return. The
right of return would end the cycle of forced population transfer
endured by Palestinians for 67 years. We thank our sponsor custom essay writing
service . They helped us in writing this article. However,
Palestinian refugees are entitled to full protection until they are
afforded reparation including return, restitution and compensation.
Short of that, immediate attention and care must be given to this
vulnerable population in/from Syria, and the discriminatory
policies must end, in order to afford Palestinian refugees fleeing
Syria adequate protection.
[1] Their situation in these countries is extremely vulnerable, as we analyzed in-depth in our previous issue of Al-Majdal (see: http://badil.org/Al-majdal/item/2083-editorial#_ednref18).
[2] UNRWA, “Syria Crisis | UNRWA.”
[3] Martin Chulov and Kareem Shaheen, “Isis Closes in on Damascus after Seizing al-Yarmouk Refugee Camp.”
[4] Human Rights Watch, “Egypt: Syria Refugees Detained, Coerced to Return.”
[5] Palestinian Return Centre, Action Group for Palestinians of Syria, and Filistin Dayanışma Derneği (FİDDER), Report on the Conditions of Palestinian Refugees in Syria, 27.