The “Other” Palestinians
The “Other” Palestinians
By Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute, August 31, 2016
Palestinians flee Yarmouk refugee camp, near Damascus, after fierce fighting in September 2015. (Image source: RT video screenshot)
It seems as though the international community has forgotten that Palestinians can be found far beyond the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These "other" Palestinians live in Arab countries such as Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, and their many serious grievances are evidently of no interest to the international community. It is only Palestinians residing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that garner international attention. Why? Because it is precisely these individuals that the international community wield as a weapon against Israel.
Nearly 3,500 Palestinians have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the civil war in 2011. But because these Palestinians were killed by Arabs, and not Israelis, this fact is not news in the mainstream media. This figure was revealed last week by the London-based Action Group For Palestinians of Syria (AGPS), founded in 2012 with the goal of documenting the suffering of the Palestinians in that country and preparing lists of victims, prisoners and missing people in order to submit them to the databases of human rights forums.
Yet the "human rights" forums pay scant attention to such findings. They are indeed too busy to take much notice, wholly preoccupied as they are with Israel.
By focusing their attention only on the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, these "human rights" forums continuously seek to find ways to hold Israel responsible for wrongdoing, while ignoring the crimes perpetrated by Arabs against their Palestinian brothers. This obsession with Israel, which sometimes reaches ridiculous heights, does a great disservice to the Palestinian victims of Arab crimes.
If you take some numbers, according to AGPS, 85 Palestinians were killed in Syria in the first year of the civil war in 2011. The following year, the number rose to 776. The year 2013 saw the highest number of Palestinian victims: 1,015. In 2014, the number of Palestinians who were killed in Syria was 724. The following year, 502 Palestinians were killed. And since the beginning of this year (until July), some 200 Palestinians were killed in Syria.
How were these Palestinians killed? The group says that they were killed as a result of direct shelling, armed clashes, torture in prison, bombings, and as a result of the besieging of their refugee camps in Syria.
Yet the plight of its people in Syria does not seem to top the list for the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah. Pride of place on that list goes to assigning blame to Israel for everything the PA itself has caused. For PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his senior officials in the West Bank, the Palestinians in Syria simply do not rate. In fact, in a step that boggles the mind, the PA leadership is currently seeking to improve its relations with the Assad regime in Syria -- the very regime that is killing, imprisoning and torturing scores of Palestinians on a daily basis.
In a move that has enraged many Palestinians in Syria, the Palestinian Authority recently celebrated the inauguration of a new Palestinian embassy in Damascus. "They [the PA leadership] have sold the Palestinians in Syria and reconciled with the Syrian regime," remarked a Palestinian from Syria.
Another Palestinian commented: "Now we know why several PLO delegations have been visiting Syria recently; they sought to renew their ties with the regime and not ensure the safety of our refugee camps or seek the release of Palestinians held in [Syrian] prisons."
Others accused the Palestinian Authority leadership of "sacrificing the blood of Palestinians." They pointed out that the Syrian regime, by permitting the opening of the new embassy, was rewarding the PA for turning its back on the plight of the Palestinians of Syria. The Palestinians complained that PA diplomats and representatives in Damascus, to whom they appealed in the past for help, have ignored their calls.
International media outlets regularly report on the "water crisis" in Palestinian towns and villages, especially in the West Bank. This is a story that repeats itself almost every summer, when some foreign journalists set out to search for any story that reflects negatively on Israel. And there is nothing more comfortable than holding Israel responsible for the "water crisis" in the West Bank.
But how many Western journalists have cared to inquire about the thirsty Palestinians of Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria? Does anyone in the international community know that this camp has been without water supply for more than 720 days? Or that the camp has been without electricity for the past three years?
Yarmouk, which is located only eight kilometers from the center of Damascus, is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. That is, it was the largest camp. In June 2002, 112,000 Palestinians lived in Yarmouk. By the end of 2014, the camp population had been decimated to less than 20,000. Medical sources say many of the residents of the camp are suffering from a host of diseases.
These figures are alarming, but not to the Palestinian Authority leadership or mainstream media and "human rights" organizations in the West. Nor is the alarm bell struck concerning the more than 12,000 Palestinians languishing in Syrian prisons, without the right to see a lawyer or family members. These include 765 children and 543 women. According to Palestinian sources, some 503 Palestinian prisoners have died under torture in recent years.
Sources say that some of the Palestinian female prisoners have been raped by their interrogators and guards. Huda, a 19-year-old girl from Yarmouk, said she became pregnant after being repeatedly gang-raped while she was held in Syrian prison for 15 days. "Sometimes, they used to rape me more than 10 times a day," Huda recounted, adding that as a result she suffered severe bleeding and lost consciousness. She also told an hour-long story of how she was held in a cell for three weeks with the bodies of other prisoners who had been tortured to death.
Such stories rarely make it to the pages of major newspapers in the West. Nor are these stories discussed at conferences held by various international human rights organizations, or even the United Nations. The only Palestinian prisoners the world talks about are those incarcerated by Israel. The Palestinian Authority leadership never misses an opportunity to call for the release of Palestinians held by Israel, most of whom are suspected of or have been found guilty of terrorism. But when it comes to the thousands who are being tortured in Syria, the PA leaders in Ramallah are deadly silent. For the sake of accuracy, it is worth mentioning that the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have sometimes contacted the Syrian authorities regarding prisoners -- but it turns out that the two groups were just seeking the release of some of their members.
Reports from Syria say that three Palestinian refugee camps remain under strict siege by the Syrian army and its puppet Palestinian groups. Yarmouk, for instance, has been under siege for more than 970 days, while the Al-Sabinah refugee camp has been under siege for more than 820 days. The Handarat camp has been facing the same fate for over 1000 days. Most of the residents of these camps have been forced to flee their homes. In Yarmouk, 186 Palestinians have died of starvation or lack of medical attention. More than 70% of the Daraa camp has been completely destroyed due to recurring shelling by the Syrian army and other militias.
The Palestinians of Syria would have been more fortunate had they been living in the West Bank or Gaza Strip. Then the international community and media would certainly have noticed them. Yet when Western journalists lavish time on Palestinians delayed at Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank, and ignore barrels of explosives dropped by the Syrian military on residential areas in refugee camps in Syria, one might start to wonder what they are really about.
Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist, is based in Jerusalem.
"Ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth." (The Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz)
Are you saying that Israel should be allowed to mistreat a people because other countries do so also?
What are you trying to say?
If I may.
What Buzz is attempting to convey here is that the global Palestinian narrative is not truthfully supportive of the Palestinian people. Rather, they are used as a vehicle to target Israel. Where Palestinians are not in the general attention of the conflict between them and Israel, they are of no value. Not to the media, not to their fellow Palestinians, not to the Arab League. Not to anyone.
When they die in Syrian prisons and in their Syrian imposed "refugee camp" in Yarmouk, it's a non-event. When a 15 year-old stabs an IDF soldier and dies for it, we get articles and decrying and statements of indignation.
Bottom line:
No one gives a shit about Palestinians, except for the government of Israel, which gives them the BEST STANDARD OF LIVING OF ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
Hope that helped, John.
No one gives a shit about Palestinians, except for the government of Israel, which gives them the BEST STANDARD OF LIVING OF ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
Understanding that it is not a completely applicable analogy, one could have argued that the standard of living of blacks living under Jim Crow apartheid like conditions in the US many years ago had a better standard of living than blacks living in Africa.
Should they have been accepting and satisfied with that?
Way to pull one thread while ignoring the actual premise. But yes, the world should not be focusing it's attentions on the least oppressed. By doing so, they demonstrate their antisemitism.
But yes, the world should not be focusing it's attentions on the least oppressed. By doing so, they demonstrate their antisemitism.
This is logical nonsense. This is like saying that anyone who criticized Jim Crow without also , or first, criticizing the living conditions in Africa was anti-American. People can criticize what they like and based upon what their personal focus is.
If I may, again.
Cerenkov misspoke.
He wrote that the world was focusing on the "least oppressed".
What he meant to say was that the world was focusing on the Israeli conflicted Palestinians "TO THE EXCLUSION OF ALL OTHERS".
Thanks.
It was not an analogy, John.
It was a direct, unambiguous statement of fact. And if you'd actually like to take a half step back and actually consider something new, consider the fact that, despite that fact, they are not only unwilling to realize that things can get even (much, much) better if they make peace, but are willing to continue to incite to violence, demonize, propagandize, boycott, divest, sanction and otherwise force solutions upon Israel.
Well summarized!
More Palestinians were killed by Jordan during the Black September massacres than by Israel since its creation. Now, the same may be said for Syria, although the killers are harder to identify. Nobody gives a flying F.
And no one ever asks why these people are still "Palestinians" after more than a half-century in the midst of an Arab / Muslim population basically indistinguishable from them. Why have they not been assimilated?
And no one ever asks why these people are still "Palestinians" after more than a half-century in the midst of an Arab / Muslim population basically indistinguishable from them. Why have they not been assimilated?
OH! OH!
I KNOW! I KNOW THE ANSWER!!
PICK ME!!
PICK MEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Raise a hand if you know the answer, children... High! Higher!
Alright... Let's see... ... ...
Who to call on?
Ah, yes!
Johnathan!
Thank you.
'calms down, fixes hair, clears throat'
There is irrefutable proof that the Palestinian is the pariah of the Arab/Muslim world. Most of the Palestinians in the world live in Jordan. In fact, they represent the majority of the Jordanian population. Jordan is ruled by the Hussein family, a Hashemite clan, from Saudi Arabia. The British granted them this power, and the family has held on since then. The Palestinians of Jordan are the lower strata of the population, in wealth and education. This is perpetuated by those that rule the country. To many Jordan IS Palestine, as it represents 79% of the Palestinian Mandate. It would seem a logical conclusion to make it so, but logic does not play a role in the Middle East.
Outside of Israel and its Occupied Territories and Gaza, Palestinians in the Middle East live in refugee camps in Syria, Lebanon and ALSO in Jordan. One would think that these countries would assimilate their Arab brethren into the general population. This is not the case. They are penned away from the rest of the country and given substandard living conditions. They have no access to the countries' education system, job market and, in some countries, social opportunities. In Egypt, a Palestinian may not wed an Egyptian-born non-Palestinian.
So, back to the question. Why have they NOT been assimilated?
Because they serve a single purpose, at the behest of the Islamic/Arab world, the Arab League and all other useful idiots who have jumped on the bandwagon. They are pawns in the world's game of hatred against Israel and the Jews.
Oh.
I hadn't thought of all that.
Thank you, Johnathan.
Yes, you have.
Silly...
Are you saying that Israel should be allowed to mistreat a people because other countries do so also?
What are you trying to say?
I thought he was being quite clear. Are you deliberately trying to obfuscate by pretending not to see what is quite obvious?
(Its quite obvious that that was not what he was trying to say).
John has either missed the main point of the article or has intentionally misinterpreted it to mean the level of mistreatment of the Palestinians depends on their location. The main point of the article is the fact that the media is only concerned with the Palestinians if they can put blame on Israel for how they are treated. John never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to support the media's take on Israel. ("Never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Where have I heard that before?)
John never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to support the media's take on Israel.
What are you talking about? American media heavily supports Israel.
John never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to support the media's take on Israel.
What are you talking about? American media heavily supports Israel.
The comment was about some dude named "John"-- & the allegation that John never misses an opportunity....
To which you replied with something about the American media missing or not missing an opportunity.
But the sentence you replied to is about "John" missing and opportunity-- what does "the American media" missing or not missing an opportunity have to do with whether or not John does?
So your reply makes no sense (unless you are assuming that "John" and "the American media" are one and the same?
John never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to support the media's take on Israel.
What are you talking about? American media heavily supports Israel.
If you still don't understand why your reply makes no sense, try this one out-- the same construction (using another entity as an example):
John never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to support the media's take on Israel.
What are you talking about? Mary heavily supports Israel.
Nothing personal, but are you drunk?
Nothing personal, but are you drunk?
Nothing personal, but are you really as stupid as you were pretending to be when you wrote this comment:
John never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to support the media's take on Israel.
What are you talking about? American media heavily supports Israel.
Really, really stupid-- or just playing games with us?
I could be wrong, but I really don't think you're that dumb. 'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume its the latter?
Nothing personal, but are you drunk?
Seems like a violation of the COC...but is it worth reporting?
Probably not... that would just create more hassles for the mods.
So I won't.
("Never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Where have I heard that before?)
It was probably Bob Nelson-- or maybe Johnathan?
Or maybe Abba Eban, I'm not sure.
(Maybe it was Abba Eban quoting Bob or maybe Johnathan...???)
Abba Eban quoting Bob
Probably. He did it all the time. Very rarely quoted his source, either.
Great article Buzz, and totally spot on.
The Palestinians are in Gaza and the west Bank for one reason only, to throw sucker punches at Israel and then claim they are being mishandled. If the Arab world gave one shit about them they would not be living in refugee camps for generations on end. The entire thing is a frickin' joke.
Larry, one could argue that if other nations give the Palestinians a permanent home, the international impetus for a "two state solution" would vanish.
You think that would be a good thing. The other side doesn't.
If all the blacks in America had gone back to Africa there would not have been a racism problem in the US either.
Larry, one could argue that if other nations give the Palestinians a permanent home, the international impetus for a "two state solution" would vanish.
Yes, one could argue that.
But the fact of the matter is-- that's a fantasy. No nation wants to give them a permanent home-- not one. ( If anyone wanted to do that, they would've done it by now).
The Arab countries need the Palestinians-- and they need to keep them as miserable as possible. they need them to use to keep their peoples' anger directed towards Israel. (Otherwise Arabs' anger at their poor conditions would be directed toward their own corrupt leaders!)
Much has been made of the Palestinian exodus of 1948. Yet during their decades of dispersal, the Palestinians have experienced no less traumatic ordeals at the hands of their Arab brothers.
As early as the mid-1950s, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Libya expelled striking Palestinian workers. In 1970, Jordan expelled some 20,000 Palestinians and demolished their camps; in 1994-95, Libya expelled tens of thousands of long-term Palestinian residents in response to the Oslo process; and after the 2003 Iraq war, some 21,000 Palestinians fled the country in response to a systematic terror and persecution campaign.
As recently as 2007, Beirut effectively displaced 31,400 Palestinian refugees when the Lebanese army destroyed the Nahr el Bared refugee camp during fighting between the militant Fatal al-Islam group and the Lebanese army.
(Link)
John,
If the objective is a better life for the Palestinians, then assimilation is the only way. They've been breeding like rabbits for three generations -- not much to do in their Arab "brothers'" barbed wire enclosed refugee camps. There's no way they'll all "return" to a land they've never known. And Israel owes them nothing: Israel assimilated as many refugee Jews from Arab countries in the late 40s and early 50s as there were "Palestinian refugees" at the time.
Peace and assimilation. You can imagine the aid packages from the US and the EU.
But the sad reality is that Arab leaders, including Palestinian leaders, need conflict with Israel as a bugaboo, to keep their own people in line.
But the sad reality is that Arab leaders, including Palestinian leaders, need conflict with Israel as a bugaboo, to keep their own people in line.
Actually, the Israelis have a saying:
If we didn't exist the Arabs would've invented us.
You can imagine the aid packages from the US and the EU.
For years the Palestinians received more aid per capita than any other nation in the world! And the U.S. was a major donor:
Since the establishment of limited Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the mid-1990s, the U.S. government has committed more than $5 billion in bilateral economic and non-lethal security assistance to the Palestinians, who are among the world’s largest per capita recipients of international foreign aid.
Successive Administrations have requested aid for the Palestinians in apparent support of at least three major U.S. policy priorities of interest to Congress:
Promoting the prevention or mitigation of terrorism against Israel from Hamas and other militant organizations.
Fostering stability, prosperity, and self-governance in the West Bank that may incline Palestinians toward peaceful coexistence with Israel and a “two-state solution.”
Meeting humanitarian needs.
(Link)
How's our policy been working out so far...?
How's our policy been working out so far...?
About as well as can be expected when one of the parties doesn't want peace.
If, by some miracle, Palestinian leaders opted for peace, it would happen the next day. And our perception of the efficacy of our aid would change just as quickly. But I'm not holding my breath...