1,350 Palestinian refugees from Iraq on their way to US.

As the US is preparing to leave Iraq the State Department confirmed that as many as 1,350 Palestinian refugees will be resettled mainly in southern California. The US allowed 7 Palestinian refugees to enter into America in 2007 and 9 in 2008.
34.000 Palestinians used to be well treated guests of Saddam Hussein before the American invasion. As many as 21.000 of them fled to other countries after 2003 and approximately 13,000 are left within the borders of Iraq where most of them live under extreme conditions in refugee camps in the desert bordering Jordan and Syria . (Both Syria and Jordan has been willing to accept around 300 Palestinian refugees each but there is an absolute closure on both borders for more.)
Palestinian refugees have come in waves to Iraq. The first ones to arrive were refugees from the war in 1948. Most of these refugees were originally from either Yaffo or Haifa but they fled their homes and sought shelter with the Iraqi army which had arrived to fight the newborn Jewish state. As they did not succeed in doing so the refugees were joining them as they withdrew back to Iraq.
The second wave came during the war in 1967 and the third came as a result of massive Palestinian support of Saddam Hussein as he attacked Kuwait in 1990.
Kuwait used to be the country with the highest Palestinian population of all the Arab states. Up to 1991 they numbered more than 400.000 but since the attack on Kuwait in 1990 the Palestinians have been chased out of the country by the Kuwaitis.
No Arab country has ever offered Palestinian refugees citizenship. Even those born in the country do not have the rights of a citizen. Arab countries are scared of other Arab countries and do not want any other Arabs to enter into their territories. This is in a way strange as they all belong to the same ethnic group, share the same religion and speak the same language. However, every Arab knows that the worst enemy to an Arab is always another Arab.
When the US army entered into Iraq the good conditions for the Palestinians in Iraq changed. They had been issued special travel documents, had the right to work and were given full access to health, education and other governmental services. They also enjoyed subsidized rent or lived in government owned houses. This has been a source of resentment for Iraq’s poor Shia’ population who turned to be fierce enemies of any Palestinian as soon as Saddam Hussein was off “stage”.
Since the US invasion the Palestinians in Iraq have been chased out of their rented homes or have had their neighborhoods bombed continuously. They have been terrorized with robbery, rape, torture, kidnapping and murder.
What happens in Iraq is what happened in Kuwait in the 90’es, in Lebanon in the 80’es and in Jordan in the 70’es. The only safe haven for Palestinian refugees has been in non Arab countries.
Good luck California.

Elin Elkouby