Violence against Palestinians in Iraq

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Violence against Palestinians in Iraq was a series of attacks, persecution, eviction, expulsion, harassment, rape, and killings of Palestinians in Iraq after the Fall of Saddam.

Contents

Background

A sizable amount of Palestinians came to Iraq after the Nakba. [1] Before 2003, there were about 35,000 Palestinians in Iraq, mainly concentrated in the large cities. After the 2003 Iraq War, the population is between 5,000 and 15,000, although it's difficult to get the exact number. [2] [3] [4]

After the Iraq War

Things quickly went downhill for Palestinians after the Iraq War. Since then, they have been the target of attacks, persecution, eviction, expulsion, harassment, rape, and killings by Shia militants, and the new Iraqi Government with militant groups particularly targeting them for their support for Saddam Hussein and that they were treated better than Shias under Saddam's Rule. [5] [6] After the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Palestinians in Iraq were subject to discrimination, violence and mass killings by the new Iraqi government and many militias. al-Hurriyya, al-Doura and al-Baladiyyat in Baghdad were Palestinian neighborhoods that were also raided and attacked. [7] UNHCR in 2007 provided details of violence and persecution against Palestinians in Iraq, that included abductions, attacks, torture by militias and the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior and the deaths of many Palestinian women, men and children. [8] [9] [10] After Al-Askari Mosque was bombed, Palestinians in Iraq were immediately blamed for the attack and became targets. According to Human Rights Watch, in March, a militia known as the "Judgment Day Brigades" passed around leaflets in Palestinian neighborhoods, accusing Palestinians of working with terrorists and said the following: "We warn that we will eliminate you all if you do not leave this area for good within ten days." Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa demanding killings of Palestinians to stop. However, violence continued and the mass killings and death threats put the Palestinians in fear and forced thousands to flee Iraq, stated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.[ citation needed ]

Leaving Iraq

Most Palestinians in Iraq were killed or left for Syria and Jordan (None of which are signatory to the 1951 Geneva Convention, although they adhere to the 1965 Casablanca Protocol without reservation. [11] ) Despite all the generosity and hospitality of Syria and Jordan to Iraqis, and their population of Palestinian refugees, both countries only accepted a few Palestinians coming from Iraq. After that, many have been left in filthy conditions in border camps such as Al-Waleed or Al-Karama, both of them are in "No Man's Land" near the near the Jordan-Syria border.[ citation needed ]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Civil War</span> 1975–1990 conflict in Lebanon

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)</span> Sectarian/anti-government warfare in American-occupied Iraq

Following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, a protracted insurgency began and lasted for the duration of the Iraq War. The initial outbreak of violence was triggered by the fall of Saddam Hussein and preceded the establishment of the new Iraqi government by the Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF–I), which was led by the United States. From around 2004 to May 2007, Iraqi insurgents largely focused their attacks on MNF-I troops, but later shifted to targeting the post-invasion Iraqi security forces as well.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badr Organization</span> Political party in Iraq

The Badr Organization, previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps, is an Iraqi Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary organization headed by Hadi Al-Amiri. The Badr Brigade was the Iran-officered military wing of the Iran-based Shia Islamic party, Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), formed in 1982. The Badr Brigade was created by Iranian intelligence and Shia cleric Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim with the aim of fighting Saddam Hussein's regime during the Iran–Iraq War. Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq most of Badr's fighters have entered the new Iraqi army and police force. Politically, Badr Brigade and SCIRI were considered to be one party since 2003, but have now unofficially separated with the Badr Organization now an official Iraqi political party. Badr Brigade forces, and their Iranian commanders, have come to prominence in 2014 fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq. It is a part of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi civil war (2006–2008)</span> Middle Eastern Conflict 2006-2009

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assyrians in Iraq</span> Ethnic group

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugees of Iraq</span>

Refugees of Iraq are Iraqi nationals who have fled Iraq due to war or persecution. Throughout 1980 until 2017, there were a large number of refugees fleeing Iraq and settling throughout the world, peaking with the Iraq War and continued until the end of the most recent War in Iraq (2013–2017). Precipitated by a series of conflicts including the Kurdish rebellions during the Iran–Iraq War, Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait (1990) and the Gulf War (1991), the subsequent sanctions against Iraq (1991–2003), culminating in the Iraq War and the subsequent War in Iraq (2013–2017), millions were forced by insecurity to flee their homes in Iraq. Like the majority of refugees worldwide, Iraqi refugees established themselves in urban areas in other countries rather than in refugee camps. In April 2007, there was an estimate of over four million Iraqi refugees around the world, including 1.9 million in Iraq, 2 million in neighboring Middle East countries, and around 200,000 in countries outside the Middle East. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has led the humanitarian efforts for Iraqi refugees. The Iraqi displacement of several million was the largest in the Middle East at the time, and was even larger than the number of Palestinians who were displaced in 1948 during the creation of the state of Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Iraq</span> History of the Christian populace of Iraq

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Iraqis in Lebanon are people of Iraqi origin residing in Lebanon and Lebanese citizens of Iraqi ancestry. Statistics for Iraqi refugees in Lebanon vary, but typically put the number at around 50,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinians in Iraq</span> Palestinians residing in Iraq

Palestinians in Iraq are people of Palestinians, most of whom have been residing in Iraq after they were displaced in 1948. Before 2003, there were approximately 34,000 Palestinians thought to be living in Iraq, mainly concentrated in Baghdad. However, since the 2003 Iraq War, the figure lies between 10,000–13,000, although a precise figure has been hard to determine. The situation of Palestinians in Iraq deteriorated after the fall of Saddam Hussein and particularly following the bombing of the Al-Askari Mosque in 2006. Since then, with the rise in insecurity throughout Iraq, they have been the target of expulsion, persecution and violence by Shia militants, and the new Iraqi Government with militant groups targeting them for preferential treatment they received under the Ba'ath Party rule. Currently, several hundred Palestinians from Iraq are living in border camps, after being refused entry to neighbouring Jordan and Syria. Others have been resettled to third countries.

Since the late 1970s until the present, Iraq has witnessed numerous waves of refugees and emigrants due to significant events in its modern history. These events have led to the displacement of millions of Iraqis. These include over three decades of repression, periodic violent attacks, and massacres targeting the Kurdish population in the north and the Shi'a in the south, all carried out by Saddam Hussein's regime. Other factors include the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the Gulf War of 1991, the prolonged economic sanctions until the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, and the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

The Iraq War resulted in multiple humanitarian crises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian refugee camps</span>

Syrian refugee camp and shelters are temporary settlements built to receive internally displaced people and refugees of the Syrian Civil War. Of the estimated 7 million persons displaced within Syria, only a small minority live in camps or collective shelters. Similarly, of the 8 million refugees, only about 10 percent live in refugee camps, with the vast majority living in both urban and rural areas of neighboring countries. Beside Syrians, they include Iraqis, Palestinians, Kurds, Yazidis, individuals from Somalia, and a minority of those who fled the Yemeni and Sudanese civil wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinians in Syria</span> People of Palestinian origin in Syria

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A refugee crisis can refer to difficulties and dangerous situations in the reception of large groups of forcibly displaced persons. These could be either internally displaced, refugees, asylum seekers or any other huge groups of migrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi conflict</span> Series of related conflicts since the 2003 invasion of Iraq

The Iraqi conflict refers to a near-continuous series of events that began with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which led to the fall of erstwhile Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. During the Iraq War, the Multi-National Force (MNF–I) of the United States helped to establish a Shia-dominated federal government under Iraqi politician Nouri al-Maliki. Around this time, the Iraqi insurgency had emerged with a predominant focus on fighting the occupying MNF–I troops and the new Iraqi government. However, the insurgency also involved inter-Iraqi sectarian violence, primarily between Shias and Sunnis. In 2011, the MNF–I withdrew from Iraq, leading to renewed sectarian violence from 2011 to 2013. During this period, the Islamic State (IS) emerged, triggering a a renewed war and an American-led intervention in 2014. In 2017, full-scale fighting in the country came to a close after the Islamic State was defeated by the Iraqi government and its allies, but a low-level IS insurgency remains ongoing in the rural northern parts of the country.

The Makhmur refugee camp was founded in 1998, and is located in the Makhmur District, some 60 Km southwest to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG). About 12,000 Kurdish refugees, who fled the civil war between Kurds and the Turkish army in the 1990s, live in this refugee camp. The refugees and their descendants stem from the depopulated Kurdish villages in Turkey. The Turkish authorities claim they had to depopulate the villages as they have been infiltrated by militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

References

  1. "Palestinians in Iraq" (PDF). fmreview.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
  2. "Content". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  3. "Error - Amnesty International". Archived from the original on 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  4. Sassoon, Joseph. The Iraqi Refugees: The New Crisis in the Middle East, Paperback Edition. I.B. Tauris, 2011., p. 75
  5. "Palestinian Refugees from Iraq in Critical Need of Protection".
  6. "Nowhere to Flee". Human Rights Watch. 9 September 2006.
  7. "Factsheet: Palestinian Refugees in Iraq". Archived from the original on 2009-07-20.
  8. http://www.unhcr.no/Pdf/Position_countryinfo_2007/Iraq%20guidelines.pdf%5B%5D
  9. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | UNHCR's Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Iraqi Asylum-seekers". Refworld.
  10. "Iraq" (PDF). UNHCR Global Appeal 2007.
  11. ""Protocol for the Treatment of Palestinians in Arab States, Casablanca Protocol", accessed on March 12th 2011".