European officials have approached the Jordanian and Iraqi governments and the American forces in Iraq requesting help for Palestinians seeking refuge on the Jordanian-Iraqi border, a Palestinian diplomat said.
The Palestinian representative to Amman ‘Atallah Kheiri requested the American forces in Iraq provide the required protection for the Palestinian refugees in Iraq and end hostilities to which they are exposed, the Jordanian A-Dustour reported.
He said dozens of Palestinian exiles have been killed since the United States and Britain invaded Iraq.
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He also called on the international community to find a just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue and to “secure their return to their homes in Palestine.”
Earlier this week Jordan unilaterally closed its border with Iraq to prevent uncontrolled entry of Palestinians fleeing from Iraq into the country, a Jordanian security official said.
Jordan is concerned that people trying to cross the border do not carry valid official documents and have no papers to validate their nationality. Amman fears thousands of Palestinians residing in Iraq will try to cross the border while fleeing the mounting sectarian violence in Iraq.
A group of 88 Palestinians arrived at the border on Sunday and are in a no-man’s-land area between the borders.
The Palestinians are calling on the Jordanian government to let them enter A-Ruweishad camp and reunite with their relatives. They say they are living in dire conditions without shelter and with no food or water and claim they cannot return to Iraq because of the deteriorating security situation.