|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6314/ethnic-cleansing-palestinians
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians in Arab Countries
(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - In Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Syria, Palestinians are treated as second- and third-class citizens. After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, the Palestinians were the first to "congratulate" Saddam Hussein. When Kuwait was liberated the following year by a U.S.-led coalition, 200,000 Palestinians were expelled from the emirate in retaliation. Since 2003, the number of Palestinians in Iraq has dropped from 25,000 to 6,000 due to systematic attacks and intimidation by Shiite militias. Palestinians captured by Shiite militias have been brutally tortured and forced to "confess" to their alleged involvement in terrorism. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have also fled Syria. What is most interesting is the complete indifference displayed by international human rights organizations, the media and the Palestinian Authority toward the mistreatment of Palestinians in Arab countries. PA leaders say they want to press "war crimes" charges against Israel with the International Criminal Court. However, when it comes to ethnic cleansing and torture of Palestinians in Arab countries, the Palestinian leadership chooses to look the other way. Western journalists don't care about the Palestinians in the Arab world because this is not a story that can be blamed on Israel.