 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
||
Virtual Equality: Palestinians in Syria May 9, 2005
By 1949, Syria, a frontline state, was sheltering around 85,000 Palestinian refugees. Owing to the negative image of the Syrian regime in the Western media, it may surprise many readers to discover that in Syria, Palestinians received the most egalitarian treatment in comparison to the citizens of the host country. Syrian ideology considered Palestine as part of Greater Syria—along with Lebanon and Jordan—and the rhetoric was largely matched in practice. Although many Arab leaders tried to champion the Palestinian cause in order to give legitimacy to their claims to greater regional leadership, a look back at the years since 1948 shows that the authoritarian Syrian regime provided the most secure situation for Palestinians living within its own borders.1 Syria alone implemented all resolutions and decisions issued by the Arab League regarding Palestinian refugee protection. Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, there are around 400,000 Palestinian refugees living in Syria, about 68 percent of whom are living in the area of the capital, Damascus. Although a few refugees sought shelter in later crises, such as the occupation of 1967 and the clashes in Jordan in the early 1970s, the majority of the community is descended from those who sought shelter in 1948. Palestinians in Syria are provided with UNRWA relief services and in 1949, the Syrian government formed its own agencies to address the relief and employment needs of the thousands of refugees who flooded into the country. There are 11 official UNRWA camps and many more unofficial camps on land not leased by UNRWA, but peopled by those officially registered with UNRWA. Yarmouk Camp, for example, is an unofficial camp. It is the largest Palestinian camp in the Arab world, with current estimates of 112,550 UNRWA residents. The actual population of the camp is even larger because many Palestinians, for various reasons, are not registered with UNRWA, but are still living as refugees. Legal Equality: Law 260, 1956
In 1956, a secure status for Palestinian refugees was enshrined in Syrian law. The decree states that Palestinians must be treated as Syrian citizens, regarding in everything, from rights to and within the employment sphere, to rights in residency, trade, and health. Regarding citizen’s duties, Palestinians are obliged to do compulsory military service, as are all Syrian nationals. All such entitlements are available to Palestinians without having to take up Syrian citizenship and lose their Palestinian nationality and identity. Palestinians are not, however, allowed to vote or to stand for election, nor do they have the same rights as Syrians in home and land ownership laws. However, they are entitled to the same basic rights as Syrian nationals in other respects, such as leasing property, trade union membership, and travel. In order to travel, permission must be applied for, but this is the same for Syrian nationals. Restrictions on individual freedoms for Palestinians in Syria are usually related to the wider authoritarian control of the government on the whole population, rather than specific racist targeting of Palestinians. Resources:
External links last accessed January 10, 2005. - It must be noted that the Syrians also hold the reins of power in Lebanon, where protection for Palestinians is a very different story.
|
