Palestinians from Iraq seek shelter in Syria

A group of Palestinian refugees from Iraq have been allowed into Syria, settling in shelters at a UN refugee camp after having been stranded on the border for over a month, the UNHCR in Damascus confirmed on Sunday. The group of 19 refugees, which include children and elderly people, had been stuck at the al-Waleed border post since October 4. Seeking refuge in Syria from deteriorating security conditions in Iraq, they had initially been denied entry due to their lack of personal documentation, such as passports. While in limbo on the border, however, the refugees had been provided by the UNHCR with tents, blankets and food, and were visited twice by a doctor. On 9 November, after negotiations between the UNHCR and the Syrian Interior Ministry, the group was finally allowed into the country and taken to the Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria’s northeastern province of Hassake. "The Syrian government allowed the UNHCR to take the Palestinians to the al-Hol camp, where they have been provided with facilities," said Abdel-hamid el Ouali, UNHCR representative in Damascus. "Some of them have even got their children into school." The al-Hol camp, situated close to the border, was established by the UNHCR in 1991 in the wake of the first Gulf War. While the camp has continued to provide temporary shelter for incoming Iraqi refugees, it has remained largely empty, with the majority of Iraqis arriving in Syria quickly moving on to the capital, Damascus. Before the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in the spring of 2003, the number of Iraqis living in Syria was estimated at up to 100,000. Today, however, that figure is estimated at 500,000, the majority of whom live in the suburbs of Damascus in deteriorating socio-economic conditions. Abuses associated with child labour are common amongst the refugee community and a large number of Iraqi women have reportedly turned to prostitution to support their families. Making matters more difficult, Syrian immigration laws stipulate that resident Iraqis must travel out of the country every six months in order to renew their residence permits. Those who can’t travel, however, are forced to live clandestinely. Refugees International reported that 22,000 Iraqi refugees have registered in total for temporary protection with the UNHCR office in Damascus. There has been a steady rise in the number of Iraqi refugees crossing into Syria since September, following two major US-led offensives against so-called “insurgents” in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, which have included air strikes and as many as 3,500 US and Iraqi ground troops. The UNHCR estimates that a few thousand Iraqis are also living in precarious conditions in the areas around the central border town of Abu Kamal,lying on the Euphrates river. With the aim of helping those still stranded in Abu Kamal, the UN refugee agency has launched an initiative aimed at providing immediate help in the form of food aid, in cooperation with the Syrian Red Crescent Organisation and the Italian Red Cross, both of which have pledged to provide medical assistance.