PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS REPS ON PALESTINIANS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 001433 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/IPA FOR JOHN WATERS AMMAN FOR REFCOORDS KANESHIRO CAIRO FOR REFCOORD CHEYNE GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2016 TAGS: PREF KPAL PINS PTER IZ JO SY SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS REPS ON PALESTINIANS IN IRAQ, AT JORDAN BORDER REF: A. AMMAN 3036 ¶B. DAMASCUS 1853 ¶C. BAGHDAD 1325 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR MICHAEL J. ADLER REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: On April 24, Palestinian Human Rights Association (Jamyat Huquq al-Insan al-Filistinia) president Muhammed Abid Mutlak Mowsiq and a delegation of three other members expressed to RefCoord their continuing concerns about the security situation of Palestinians in Iraq. They promised to send RefCoord lists of detained, disappeared, and murdered Palestinians. They complained about tough new residency requirements; RefCoord promised to look further into this. The delegation called attention to continuing arrivals at the Jordan Border (refs A and C). They suggested that the group of about fifty that arrived April 21 and 22 had moved towards the border as a result of the Zahar-Muallem press conference announcing that Syria would be willing to admit Palestinians from Iraq. To stop the flow toward the border, the PHRA recommended either improving the security situation of Palestinians in Iraq or finding a resettlement country that would take them -- the US was their preference. The PHRA were grateful for MNF-I efforts to improve security in Iraq, which they said they believed had kept their community from being exterminated. However, they said they were still afraid because they continued to be targeted on the basis of their being Palestinian. The Embassy continues to explore with MNF-I ways to enhance protection in Palestinian neighborhoods through the Scales of Justice program. (ref C) End Summary. -------------- Lists of the Detained, Disappeared, Dead -------------- ¶2. (C) In an April 24 meeting, The Palestinian Human Rights Association (PHRA) delegation indicated to RefCoord that one of their top priorities was finding out information about specific cases of Palestinians who have been detained, disappeared, or murdered. They promised to send RefCoord four lists of Palestinians who had been: 1) detained by Iraqi Security Forces (ISF),2) detained by MNF-I, 3) disappeared, and 4) killed. RefCoord promised to follow up on the lists once received. The PHRA representatives said they wanted the cases of these individuals to start moving forward through the legal process, so that legal judgments could be made, the innocent released, and the guilty sentenced. As of May 1, the PHRA had not yet sent the promised lists. -------------- Tough New Residency Requirements -------------- ¶3. (C) The delegation gave RefCoord a copy of the same letter from the Baghdad Provincial Council (BPC) that the PLO Chief of Mission had provided on April 20 (ref c) and raised similar complaints about the onerous new residency requirements. RefCoord promised to look into this (septel on this issue in development). (Note: A few days prior to the nomination of the new PM, the GOI had indicated it would be willing to extend the residence permits for Palestinians to six months. RefCoord will explore ways to advocate for improved conditions for the Palestinians with the new GOI after the new Cabinet has been approved by the Council of Representatives.) -------------- Why Do Palestinians Go Towards Jordan? -------------- ¶4. (C) The PHRA delegation was concerned about the difficult situation of the 230 some Palestinians at the border with Jordan (ref A). When asked why the Palestinians are leaving, the group at first said they BAGHDAD 00001433 002 OF 003 did not know. They indicated that Palestinians who travel to the border do not confide their reasons to the PHRA because the group's opposition to this course of action is well known in the community. They emphasized that the group at the border is not representative of the whole community: they are the ones who are worst off. According to the PHRA, the poorer Palestinians in Baghdad who are unable to work are struggling to find food to feed their families. RefCoord promised to look into their situation and carry that message to MoDM and UNHCR. With a little prodding, one of the group volunteered that he understood that the group of 50 were close relatives of the Palestinians already at the Jordan-Iraq border. Their relatives at the border had heard about the Syrian offer to accept the Palestinians at the border mentioned in the Zahar-Muallem press conference in Damascus April 19 (refs a and b). The border group reportedly called their close relatives in Baghdad and told them to come to the border; they would all go to Syria together from there. (Note: UNHCR told RefCoord April 25 that it also believes the Zahar-Muallem press conference was the reason behind the unusually large movement towards the border that weekend. Up to this point, the group at the border has been augmented by a steady trickle of small groups.) The Palestinians suggested two courses of action to prevent further outflows: 1) improve the security situation of Palestinians in Iraq and 2) find a resettlement country that will accept Palestinians from Iraq. They asked the USG to help them find "other options" saying "we prefer America." RefCoord reinforced to the PHRA that UNHCR has the lead on international discussions of durable solutions for refugees in Iraq, including Palestinians, and that rather than approaching the USG directly they should discuss their concerns with UNCHR. -------------- Recent Security Situation -------------- ¶5. (C) In general, the group said the security situation of Palestinians was "not good." They thanked the US forces for their work on security in Iraq, saying "without their help we would all have been killed by now." They added that the existence of MNF-I forces in Iraq helps keep the people calm. However, they said Palestinians are afraid to go out, because if they are stopped and asked to show their IDs they risk being detained. They claimed Palestinians are targeted for more abuse than the average Iraqis, and cited two recent examples. ¶6. (C) Khaled Walid Hassan was reportedly kidnapped by insurgents about a month ago in March 2006. He was taken from his house in Karbala, and turned up dead in the morgue on April 19. The details of the abduction are second-hand, based on the PHRA's conversations with witnesses to the events. ¶7. (C) On April 13 a Palestinian shop keeper named Qusay Al-Majeed was reportedly detained by the Iraqi Police (IP) from the Saray Market on Al Mutanabi Street in downtown Baghdad. The PHRA representatives were not present themselves, but learned of the incident from others who witnessed the incident. The individuals who took al-Majeed were reportedly dressed in IP Commando camouflage uniforms, and came in vehicles that appeared to be police cars. Reportedly the IP closed the street at each end and checked the IDs of everyone in between. Majeed was one of eleven people detained; the other ten were Iraqi Sunnis. The PHRA had no further information on the fate of Majeed and the ten Sunnis. -------------- -------------- Palestinian Muslims Association -- Hamas Connection? -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) RefCoord asked the PHRA about the Palestinian Muslims Association (PMA),a group mentioned in a March 5 BAGHDAD 00001433 003 OF 003 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) open source report on Palestinians being targeted in Iraq. The PHRA had never heard of the group. Mohammed Abid Mutlak Mowsiq surmised that this group might be a first step by Hamas to set up an office in Iraq. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Comment: The PHRA's assessment of why Palestinians are heading towards the Jordan border tracks with what we have heard from other sources. It is interesting that in this meeting, unlike previously, the PHRA did not mention the "right of return to Palestine," but now claimed they want resettlement in the US. The PHRA president's suggestion that PMA may be connected to Hamas suggests his sympathies lie elsewhere. PHRA has in the past met RefCoord in the presence of the PLO Chief of Mission, who clearly considers himself a Fatah man (ref c). KHALILZAD