MESOPOTAMIA NEWS EXCLUSIV : Syrian Palestinians Killed by Syrian Regime, incl. 491 by Torture, from Mar 2011-July 2020,  49 Seen in Caesar Pics

The Background and Work Methodology of the Report / 29 July 2020 – ENGLISH TEXT  

Syria has been one of the primary destinations for those forcibly displaced from Palestine since 1948 and in the subsequent waves of asylum, due to the embrace and welcome they received from Syrian society, which contributed to their inclusion within this society of which they are considered an integral part. The Syrian state has classified them as being on an equal footing with Syrian citizens in all fields, except for the right to vote and to run for the Syrian People’s Assembly and for Local Administration (governorate and city councils) positions, while preserving Palestinian citizenship, in order to preserve the right of return, under the umbrella of a set of effective Syrian legislations issued in this context; the most prominent of these is Decree No. 260, which was approved by former Syrian President Shukri al Quwatli in July 1956, and Decree No. 1311 issued in October 1963. The latest statistics issued by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) indicate that it is currently providing health, education, relief and social services to approximately 552,000 registered refugees in Syria. The estimate of the actual number of these refugees, however, is far greater than that, and we at the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) believe that it would have been better to grant the vast majority of these refugees Syrian citizenship, given their long-term residence on Syrian soil, which would not prevent them from also retaining dual Palestinian citizenship.

The Palestine Arab Refugee Institution, now called the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees, was established by Decree No. 450 in January 1949. It was entrusted with the task of organizing and assisting the affairs of Palestinian refugees. The number of Palestinian refugees registered by the Authority as of May 12, 2020, is 552,974 persons. Over 70 years, this body worked to receive and process all donations and grants allocated to the Palestinians in Syria from any source, whether these resources were in-kind or cash, and distribute them according to the body’s wishes.

The majority of Palestinian refugees in Syria are distributed in seven governorates, with the largest group in Damascus. The UNRWA provides services to Palestinians in 12 Palestinian refugee camps across the country, nine of which are official camps, namely: al Nayrab Camp in Aleppo city, Hama Camp in Hama city, Homs Camp in Homs city, the camps of Khan al Sheeh, Khan Dannoun, Sbeina, and Qabr al Sett (al Sayyida Zainab), and Jaramana in Damascus Suburbs governorate, and the Daraa Camp in Daraa city, along with three unofficial camps, namely: al Yarmouk Camp south of Damascus city, which was classified before 2012 as the largest gathering of Palestinians in all the countries of diaspora, al Raml Camp in Latakia governorate, and Ein al Tal Camp in Aleppo city.