IRAQI PALESTINIAN REFUGEES LIVE PRECARIOUSLY IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 000032 C O R R E C T E D COPY (PARAGRAPH SPACING) SIPDIS LONDON FOR LORD, PARIS FOR NOBLES E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2020 TAGS: KDEM SOCI PREL PREF PHUM KPAL SY SUBJECT: IRAQI PALESTINIAN REFUGEES LIVE PRECARIOUSLY IN SYRIA REF: DAMASCUS 0023 DAMASCUS 00000032 001.4 OF 002 Classified By: CDA Charles Hunter, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Iraqi Palestinians have been among the most vulnerable of Iraqi refugees in Syria. Over 2,600 of these essentially stateless people have been stranded in three desolate camps at or near the Syrian-Iraqi border. UNHCR is closing one of the camps, al-Tanf, this month and a second one, al-Walid, by April or May of this year. Both the Syrian government and UNHCR support resettling the refugees in the remaining camp, al-Hol, to third countries. Vice Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad praised the closure of al-Tanf in a January 9 meeting, and supported the resettlement to third countries of Iraqi Palestinians in these camps. However, regarding the thousands of Iraqi Palestinians thought to be living in Damascus on forged documents, Miqdad reported the SARG was being careful not to be too welcoming out of fear that the approximately 10,000 Palestinians still living in Baghdad might be tempted to try their luck in Syria. END SUMMARY. UNHCR WORKS TO CLOSE DESOLATE CAMPS ¶2. (C) Since the first wave of Iraqi refugees came to Syria following the U.S. invasion in 2003, Iraqi Palestinians have found themselves in a precarious situation in Syria. Lacking Iraqi citizenship, these refugees became essentially stateless when they entered Syria. By summer 2009, around 2,600 were stranded in three camps on or near the Syria-Iraq border: al-Tanf and al-Hol camps on the Syrian side, and al-Walid on the Iraqi side. UNHCR officials have maintained that the desolate camps were unfit for prolonged habitation and have advocated for the urgent resettlement of all camp residents. ¶3. (C) UNHCR Country Representative Renata Dubini told us January 11 the last significant transfer of 96 Iraqi Palestinian refugees from al-Tanf to al-Hol camp was completed on January 10. Al-Tanf, which at the beginning of December housed 537 Palestinians, will be closed by the end of the month. UNHCR officials said they are confident the 400-500 Iraqi Palestinian refugees living in al-Hol will be resettled to third countries, hopefully this year. ¶4. (C) Meanwhile, Dubini said UNHCR is proceeding with plans to close the third camp, al-Walid, which is situated four kilometers inside the Iraqi border. If resettlement plans proceed apace, Dubini said she hopes al-Walid will be closed by April or May of this year. Dubini credited Qatari Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani for recently raising awareness of the plight of the al-Walid refugees after visiting the camp in December. "Keeping people in conditions like that is not suitable in the longterm," Dubini said. SARG PRAISES CLOSURE OF CAMPS; VAGUE ON IRAQI PALESTINIANS LIVING IN CITIES ¶5. (C) In addition to the Iraqi Palestinians living in the camps, UNHCR estimates over 2,000 are living in the Damascus area, most of them in the Palestinian-heavy Yarmouk area of the city. These refugees have attempted to blend into Syrian society and live like the rest of Iraqi refugees who receive health care services and are allowed access to Syrian public schools, but most are in Syria on forged Iraqi documents. Dubini said UNHCR has advocated for these refugees with the SARG, encouraging the Syrian authorities not to move against Iraqi Palestinians in the Damascus area. "The Syrians have threatened to move Iraqi Palestinians discovered to be in Syria on false documents to al-Hol, and we have advocated for them to be left alone pending another option like resettlement," Dubini explained. ¶6. (C) Vice Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad praised the closure of al-Tanf camp in a January 9 meeting with Staffdel Marcus (reftel),and told us he was supportive of efforts to resettle the Palestinian refugees to third countries. However, he said the SARG was wary of Iraqi Palestinian refugees who had blended into cities like Damascus. Miqdad related that the SARG must be careful not to appear too welcoming of the remaining Iraqi Palestinians in Syria for fear of attracting Palestinians still living in Baghdad. "There are over 10,000 Palestinians still sitting in Baghdad, and they are watching to see what we do," he said. Having successfully closed al-Tanf, Miqdad added the SARG did not want to do anything that might attract additional Palestinian refugees. ¶7. (C) Miqdad stressed the SARG is not interested in another wave of Palestinian refugees from Iraq given the nearly 500,000 Palestinian refugees already living in Syria. He added, however, that the SARG "would not force them back" and would seek a humanitarian solution. Miqdad harshly criticized the Iraqi government for not doing enough to assist Iraqi refugees, and stated the SARG is waiting for upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections to send "a big signal" that change and reconciliation would come to Iraq, allowing DAMASCUS 00000032 002 OF 002 refugees to return to their homes. Miqdad also explicitly recognized resettlement of Palestinian refugees to third countries as another viable option, a statement UNHCR officials deem significant given the SARG's reluctance to publicly support measures that would further disperse Palestinians far from the "Palestinian homeland." ¶8. (C) COMMENT. The closure of al-Tanf at the end of this month and the planned closure of al-Walid later this year mark a significant achievement for UNHCR which has long argued that the camps are unsuitable for human habitation. The UNHCR's resettlement of Iraqi Palestinian refugees in the camps, with the SARG's support, highlights the largely cooperative relationship UNHCR has constructed with the SARG regarding Iraqi refugees. However, the thorny issue of the Iraqi Palestinians living in Syrian cities remains. While UNHCR will continue to urge the SARG not to move against them, Miqdad's comments underscore the fine line the SARG is attempting to walk by tolerating these refugees without appearing too welcoming and thereby attracting more Palestinians from Iraq. END COMMENT. HUNTER