Atef Adwan, the Palestinian Minister of Refugees, said that Jordan is
planning to transfer transfer hundreds of Palestinians, who fled
violence in Iraq, to Canada. Refugees in the occupied West Bank
protested against the decision and demanded Jordan to cancel it.
Yasser Al Badrasawi, head of the Right of Return Center, urged the Arab and the Islamic countries to put pressure on the UN in order resolve the issue of the refugees in compliance of the United Nations Resolution number 194.
Al Badrasawi urged the international human rights organizations to interfere in order to prevent the forced transfer of 280 Palestinian refugees who fled Iraq and and sought sanctuary in Jordan,
Meanwhile, Syria said that it is willing to receive 70% of the refugees who fled Iraq during the war but kept the door closed for the remaining 30% who camped on the Jordanian borders.
Al Badrasawi added that the refugees are living under harsh conditions, and demanded the international organizations to provide them with better living conditions inside the Arab countries.
Meanwhile, Adwan noted in a press release that the Jordanian government has recently reached a deal with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to transfer 280 Palestinian refugees to Canada.
Palestinian refugees fled from Iraq as a result of the growing hatred against them and the repeated attacks and abductions that claimed the lives of several refugees.
Adwan said that Jordan was able to host 600.000 Iraqis who fled to Jordan, but it refuses to allow 280 Palestinian refugees to stay on its land.
Adwan also appealed to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to intervene and ask Jordan not to force the refugees out since this issue could be the end of the refugees cause and cancel their right of return to Palestine.
According to Adwan, Jordan did not pay attention to appeals sent by the Palestinian cabinet, controlled by the Hamas party, not to go ahead with the “Jordan-UN” deal to transfer the refugees.
Last April, relations between Jordan and the Hamas-led Palestinian government have worsened when Jordan said it seized a weapon shipment for Hamas. Jordan said that some of these weapons were meant to be used in striking Jordanian interests.
The Hamas party denied the report and said it will not carry any act that harms the Jordanian interests and Jeopardizes its security.
