“Iraq's Palestinians are another forgotten tragedy in the US/UK's invasion."

"There are those who fled Palestine after the British led formation of Israel in 1948, ousted from ancestral homes, fleeing just with keys, deeds and what they could carry“..“Others, their children and grandchildren, born in exile.” (Iraq’s Liberated Palestinians by Felicity Arbuthnot, 7/10/2006)

Ma’an News agency reported on the 18/1/2007, that figures from the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), claim in the year of 2006, an estimated 536 Palestinian refugees had either been reported missing or found dead inside of Iraq.

International concern was first raised by Astrid Van Genderen Stort, a UNHCR spokeswoman in Geneva, who stated in 2005, "They (Palestinians) have been victims of night raids, arbitrary arrests and torture carried out by Iraqi security forces."

Condemnation for human rights abuses by the new Iraqi government, have also been raised by Jennifer Pagonis of the UN High Commission for Refugees, who told journalists that Palestinians in Iraq : '.. lack protection, have serious problems obtaining identity cards and have been targets of continuing harassment, threats, kidnappings and killings.' (3/10/2006)

The Sunday Telegraph warned that predominantly Shi’ite backed “militias are stepping up their campaign to drive out Iraq's 20,000 remaining Palestinians”, resulting with hundreds of Palestinian families now being forced to live under harsh conditions in refugee camps along the countries border.

A UNHCR team recently visited Al Waleed camp – home to 1,071 Palestinians – on the Iraqi side of the border with Syria where they identified four children and one young man in urgent need of medical care.

They included a youth with a hole in his heart, two children with Hodgkin's disease, one youth about to lose his leg because of a vascular disease and a young man with severe diabetes who is losing his sight.

The Palestinians of Iraq need your support, sign our pledge bank today:  http://www.pledgebank.com/palestine-iraq

More information can be found on Welcome to Baqa'a Refugee Camp: www.baqaacamp.blogspot.com

This pledge is being supported by the Iraq Solidarity Campaign and the Middle East Cultural Association as part of the International Campaign in Defence of Iraqs Palestinians.

All money raised will be donated to Al-Awda (US Branch), who have volunteers currently working to support families inside of the Refugee Camps.