Off the wire
• S. African court dismisses government's application against release of convicted killer of SACP leader  • 4th LD Writethru: Two strong quakes hit SW Japan, people trapped in collapsed houses  • 1st LD: Iraqi parliament sacks speaker, two deputies  • Mexican president sees great cooperation potential with Denmark  • China's export hub opens regular cargo train to Europe  • Russian economy unsteady but will improve: Putin  • Streaming sites blacklisted for illegal content  • Zambia nabs 1, 339 people over drugs in first quarter of 2016  • French president meets Chinese state councilor to boost bilateral ties  • 3rd LD Writethru: Strong quakes hit SW Japan, injuries, damage reported  
You are here: 　 Home

Palestinian official calls for immediate int'l protection for Palestinian refugees in Syria

Xinhua, April 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary General, Saeb Erekat, Thursday called for immediate international protection for Palestinian refugees in the Al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria.

In an emailed press statement, Erekat also called on The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and international aid organizations to provide humanitarian aid for those besieged in the camp.

He also conveyed his condolences over the three Palestinians killed inside the camp three days ago during clashes between Islamic State (IS) and the Al-Nusra Front.

IS waged attacks against several locations controlled by its former ally, the Al-Nusra Front, "causing the death of large numbers of Al-Nusra militants and three Palestinian civilians," according to Palestinian witnesses in the camp.

Erekat said the international community must shoulder its political and humanitarian responsibility towards the continued suffering of Palestinian refugees in the camp, by stopping this massacre and increasing efforts to end the Israeli occupation.

According to Erekat, the solution to the Palestinian refugee issue must focus on returning them to their homes, from which they were forcibly evicted in 1948, according to UN resolution 194, ending the ongoing occupation and establishing the state of Palestine.

Less than 6,000 refugees currently live in the Al-Yarmouk camp, down from 160,000 in 2011, before the beginning of the Syrian crisis. Endit