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Last update - 16:11 05/08/2008
Palestinian refugees in Iraq to be relocated to Scandinavia
By Reuters and Haaretz Service
Tags: Iraq, Palestinians 

Some of the most desperate refugees stranded in the Iraqi desert will move to Iceland and Sweden under a resettlement program announced on Tuesday by the United Nations refugee agency.

Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said that more than two dozen Palestinians who have been stuck on the Iraq-Syria border for the last two years will be leaving for Iceland in the coming weeks.

Another 155 Palestinian refugees who fled Iraq only to be stuck on the edge of Syria, which has refused them entry, have been cleared for a move to Sweden, Redmond said.
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"The two groups include some of the most vulnerable women and children with urgent medical needs requiring immediate attention," he told a news briefing in Geneva.

There are 2,300 Palestinians living in two refugee camps along the Syria-Iraq border who cannot return to Iraq or enter neighboring countries. In the past 14 months, a dozen people have died among that group that lacks proper medical care.

Iraq had a community of 30,000 Palestinian refugees before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. They became the target of attacks after the war began, mainly by the anti-Saddam Shi'ite community, partly because of the Baghdad government's support for the Palestinians under his rule.

Syria, which is home to a large community of exiled Iraqis, took in 250 Palestinian refugees from Iraq in 2006 but then closed its borders to them. A small number of the Palestinians stranded in the desert have since been resettled in Europe and in Brazil and Chile, and Sudan has also offered to host some.

"We hope that all of the Palestinians will be able to leave the harsh conditions of the camps sooner rather than later," Redmond said.

Since Saddam's removal from power, the Palestinian media has reported of cases of assault, robbery, detention, kidnapping, torture and murder, leveled against Palestinian refugees, whose ancestors fled during the War of Independence from Arab villages in the Haifa area.

The Iraqi army, that occupied the northern West Bank during the war, forcibly drafted the villagers, and let their families into Iraq upon their defeat, but were not granted Iraqi citizenship or passports.

They did not register with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA). Rather, Saddam Hussein, keen to express his devotion to the Palestinian cause, gave them privileged rights.

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      1.   Brotherly Love 17:04  |  Arie 05/08/08
      2.   Why can`t they move to Baghdad? 17:06  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      3.   Relocate the rest of the Palestinians in Israel as well. 17:13  |  viking 05/08/08
      4.   Why can`t they move to Jeddah? 17:14  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      5.   How does this affect Israel? 17:17  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      6.   Now That`s Good News For Palestinians in our area! 17:28  |  Yardena 05/08/08
      7.   we don´t want them - send to USA 17:35  |  olle 05/08/08
      8.   Words 17:41  |  Ethan 05/08/08
      9.   Definition 18:00  |  Gershon Reed 05/08/08
      10.   Absolutely Preposterous! 18:06  |  ra32 05/08/08
      11.   Now they`ll be able to get citizenship, at last 18:13  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 05/08/08
      12.   RESPONSES 18:21  |  ben 05/08/08
      13.   Excellent 18:26  |  judith 05/08/08
      14.   Not from Scandinavia, but not from Israel either 18:34  |  Raymond in DC 05/08/08
      15.   To ra32 18:34  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      16.   Yes we do, Olle! 18:35  |  Anna 05/08/08
      17.   I`m not racist 18:41  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      18.   Oh, sorry to ra32, I meant Ben 18:42  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      19.   ra32 19:02  |  x-ray 05/08/08
      20.   What I really believe 19:03  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      21.   Mrs Fatso, go back to mama latinia, head south 19:10  |  Tamir Palestine 05/08/08
      22.   Call the doctor! 19:13  |  utagawa 05/08/08
      23.   On second thought 19:17  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      24.   Mrs. Fatso - HOW DARE YOU 19:44  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/08/08
      25.   Re- Raymond in DC 19:45  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      26.   ra32 10 20:09  |  ChanahS 05/08/08
      27.   ben 12 20:12  |  ChanahS 05/08/08
      28.   To Mark of Lewiston 20:12  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      29.   `War of Independence from Arab Villages?` 20:21  |  Sophia 05/08/08
      30.   28 Mrs Fatso - Ignorance Kills American Kids 20:44  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/08/08
      31.   a dozen people have died IN 14 months out of 2,300? Normal 20:46  |  Genuine Tosefta 05/08/08
      32.   To Sophia 21:01  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      33.   Why not in Muslim realms? Less stress on everybody 21:07  |  17 05/08/08
      34.   To Mark of Lewiston again 21:11  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      35.   #11 Margie from South Africa has not changed 21:26  |  Labhras 05/08/08
      36.   its Filistine in Arabic language, like Philistine 21:43  |  Tamir Palestine 05/08/08
      37.   THIS SHOWS HOW FAR GOES THE ARAB SOLIDARITY 21:59  |  ANUAR AL SADAT 05/08/08
      38.   To Mark of Lewiston another time 22:17  |  Mrs. Fatso from USA 05/08/08
      39.   mrs.fatso 22:38  |  eva 05/08/08
      40.   #7 olle....Calmey-Rey will not like your position 22:56  |  Lynn 05/08/08
      41.   ra32....West Bank authorities don`t want them 23:02  |  Lynn 05/08/08
      42.   noor,this is what ChanahS was talking about when she referred 01:37  |  terrornator 06/08/08
      43.   tamir palestine, Re:Mrs fatso now that you brought it up,why 01:43  |  pure american 06/08/08
      44.   mark of lewiston the christian crusades were a direct result of 01:48  |  the truth hurts 06/08/08
      45.   22 HUGE OIL-WEALTHY Arab Countries. 01:52  |  Linda Rivera 06/08/08
      46.   Disgraceful! 01:57  |  Maureen Ann 06/08/08
      47.   43 Truth Hurts 07:51  |  Mark of Lewiston 06/08/08
      48.   Why not in Israel? 08:56  |  ra123 07/08/08
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