Al-Araby al-Jadeed, London, August 4
“The Syrian war is one of the greatest travesties of our time. Hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent civilians are being butchered every single day while the world observes quietly from the side. Not a single country agreed to take action to prevent this holocaust, allowing Syrian men, women, and children to be sent to their deaths at the hands of Bashar Assad’s regime and Islamic State.
“Yet there is a population that is even more miserable than the average Syrian citizen. These are the Palestinian refugees in Syria. For years, they have been discriminated against, marginalized and left to the sidelines of society. When death and destruction struck the country six years ago, these communities were the first to pay the price. Unlike regular Syrian nationals, Palestinians are not allowed to leave Syria to seek refuge in neighboring states. Many of them don’t even have passports. Even Lebanon, where roughly one million Syrians have found shelter, does not permit entry to Palestinian Syrians. Palestinians have to enter the country as tourists and are therefore not privy to basic access to UN aid services.
“The most infuriating thing about this catastrophe is that the biggest traitor of the Palestinian people is its leadership. Instead of fighting for the protection of Syria’s Palestinians, the PLO turns a blind eye to the travesties in the Levant, aligning itself with Assad and the forces of evil. It abandons its own people, who have already been expelled from their homes before, and leaves them to die a miserable death in their quest for freedom. This is a shame for all world leaders, especially those in Ramallah.” – Samir al-Sabban