JStone
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- Jun 29, 2011
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No Love For The Palesteenians Facing Arab Apartheid
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian refugees in Iraq say they face widespread discrimination and have appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas to intervene.
Palestinians have been refused medical care in Iraqi government hospitals and must use fake ID cards to receive treatment. The Palestinian Red Crescent lacks support from the PLO and cannot provide adequate medical care, it added.
Meanwhile, some 90 percent of Palestinians in Iraq are unemployed, Palestinians are refused government jobs and young male Palestinians face particular discrimination in finding work, the association said.
The group said Palestinians were arbitrarily detained because of their nationality or because they are Sunni Muslims. Palestinian students are treated as terrorists and some have left school over fears they will be kidnapped, it said.
The Minority Rights Group says Palestinians face discrimination in Iraq due to perceptions they were privileged under Saddam Hussein's rule.
Under Hussein, they received subsidized or rent-free housing, free utilities and were exempt from military service.
"Old resentments based on perceived favorable treatment by the Baath regime continue to stoke current prejudice," MRG said in November.
"Since 2003, Iraqi officials from the Ministry of Interior have arbitrarily arrested, beaten, tortured and, in a few cases, forcibly 'disappeared' Palestinian refugees," it added.
Maan News Agency: Palestinians in Iraq appeal to Abbas over discrimination
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