Abbas. Seeking refugee solution
Photo: AP
Palestinians persecuted for supporting Saddam
Photo: AFP
PA minister: We'll return 18,000 refugees from Iraq
Israel and the PA have agreed on returning 40 Palestinian refugees from Iraq to the territories due to their persecution by Shi'ite militias, Palestinian information minister says. Minister claims this is first step in bringing back all 18,000 refugees currently in Iraq
The Palestinian Authority is working to return 18,000 Palestinian refugees currently living in Iraq, Palestinian Minister of Information Riyad al-Malki said Tuesday.
After negotiations Israel has just authorized the return of 40 Palestinians from Iraq to the PA territories, al-Malki told the Palestinian Maan News Agency. He claimed that this was the first step towards bringing back all of the refugees.
The Palestinian minister noted that PA President Mahmoud Abbas had appointed him to solve the problem of the refugees in Iraq. Al-Malki said he began the process by making contacts with senior Israeli officials and Knesset members in order to convince them to authorize the refugees' entry into the West Bank.
"So far, the Israelis have agreed to let in just a small group of refugees," al-Malki said. "We'll continue to make every effort so the Palestinian refugees in Iraq can come back to the territories," he said.
Palestinian refugees living in Iraq have been persecuted by Shi'ite militias owing
to their Sunni affiliations and their past support for former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. In recent years, Shi'ite militias have carried out a number of violent attacks on Palestinian communities in Iraq.
Last year Abbas appointed Jibril Rajoub as his special envoy for Palestinian refugee affairs in Iraq, owing to the increased gravity of their situation. Rajoub held a number of meetings with senior Arab and Iraqi officials to answer the distress calls of the refugees in Iraq. Al-Malki has taken over the role in the new Palestinian government.
