From Palestine Free Voice

I received a note from Vienna today, the organization of Menschenfreunde International ; [Doc. No: IQ/ME/102/07/E] - is asking me for help to save the lives of a Palestinian family.The message was a grim reminder of the real life situation for many Iraqi Palestinians, which has been uprooted from their home again.

As if in a unfortunate predicament - a disaster forced generations of Palestinians from their homeland Palestine, in search of a safe shelter in many places around the world. - Also they found a shelter in Iraq, where they lived their lives in a period of relative tranquility. During the rule of the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, the Palestinians where protected from danger and hardship - provided with housing and health care, and free education for their children.

However, the conditions for Iraqi Palestinian changed brutally, again - by the course of monstrous events, the lunacy, which no one, sound in mind could ever predict - the occupation and the destruction of Iraq - 100 of thousands of Iraqi Palestinians refugees had to flee again from their new country of residence.

Today many Palestinian families or individuals are living in fear to the safety of their lives, awaiting to leave Iraq, stuck by the border to Syria and Jordan. - Suffering from high temperatures and sandstorms. During the day, temperatures in the tents rise to 50º Celsius and there is no or very little shade from the burning sun - the sanitations and water are provided - limited to the basic needs - medical supply is provided by UNRWA.

The Iraqi Palestinians have been forced to flee from atrocious acts of cruelty - desperately hoping to find a safe shelter somewhere else - anywhere. Some are stranded abroad and without money - awaiting to return to Iraq because their visas have expired. In Orwellian style,Palestinian refugees without exceptions, almost always are being denied extension of their visas - also their request of asylum is being denied - their hopes are brutally crushed to bits and pieces again.

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Since the beginning of June 2007 this particular Palestinian Iraqi family, residents of Baghdad, are at loss at the Dubai airport, following the expiration of their visas in the United Arab Emirates. The mother of the 4 small children, Ahamd Ra’fat 11,Sora Ra’fat 9,Hiba Ra’fat 3 and Naba’a Ra’fat 8 months - is suffering from head wounds.

Following the attack with mortar missiles on the Baladiyat complex in Baghdad on 19 October of 2006, the father, Ahmed, Khadel Al Jamal began to research the possibilities to secure the medical treatment to his wife,the wounded Faten - whose injury required surgical operation to remove shrapnel's from her head, besides a skull tinkering.

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The family failed to find the appropriate medication for the wounded mother in Iraq due to the family’s poor financial situation. So they collected some money and bought tickets to travel to the United Arab Emirates with visas, valid for three months. Hoping to succeed in securing the costs of a much urgent medical treatment, through the Palestinian Embassy in Dubai and through charities. However the report today from Menschenfreunde International, reveals that all attempts to secure the financial aid of this family has failed and in the meantime unfortunately the family’s visa has expired.

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The Al Jamal family headed to the Dubai airport 2, reluctant in their minds they together made the difficult and dangerous decision, to challenge one last solution - the family decided to return to the unsafe life of a refugee camp in the occupied and war-torned Iraq.

However the security representatives of the Iraqi airlines were heartless, they refused to allow the Al Jamal family to board the aircraft - using the pretext, that Arabs are not permitted to enter Iraq.- All though they are residents of Baghdad, Palestinian refugees and having in their possession return tickets - which had not expired.

To add an extra heavy load of sorrow to this Palestinian refugee family, with 4 small children and the mother in need of urgent surgery from her war-wounds - the Iraqi Embassy in AbuDhabi, brutally thoughtless rejected the Al- Jamal's family request to enter Iraq.

Careless of the consequences for this suffering family - and in spite of the fact that this Palestinian family possess a valid Iraqi travel document, granted to all Palestinian refugees by the current Iraqi authorities. The traitors of the current Iraqi "Authorities" - which never will be recognized by the Iraqi people - this lawless mob, want to get rid of the Palestinians, as did they with the guardian of the Palestinian people, the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein. - So therefore, consequently - as the unkind destiny of a growing number of other Palestinian refugees, with similar experience , the family of Al Jamal was also denied their rights to return to their country of residence, Iraq and their home in the Baladiyat quarter of Baghdad.

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I have transferred via bank, some 2500 Dirham ($ 700 ) - which will provide the Al Jamal family with their basic needs, to survive another 14 days. - I urge every conscious decent individual and organization to save this family and to provide this family with necessary medication and aid for the urgent surgery of the injured mother. - I urge the worlds governments to give this family asylums, in a country where they can live a life in dignity and have a safe shelter.

Let us all not forget, there are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and Iraqis, forced to live a life, with haunting painful memories, in a never-ceasing agony and in hopeless grief.

You can write email to : abo_bssam25@hotmail.com - you can also contact PalestineFreeVoice.

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© 2007 Hiyam Noir

From Palestine Free Voice