Action Group – London
On the occasion of World Refugee Day, which falls on the 20th of June each year, the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria launched a humanitarian appeal highlighting the suffering of Palestinian refugees displaced by the Syrian war, calling on the international community and humanitarian organizations to take urgent action to ensure their rights and provide them with necessary protection and assistance.
The group said in a statement issued today from London that the Syrian crisis since 2011 has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who were residing in Syria, forcing them into a new cycle of repeated displacement after they had taken refuge in the country following the Nakba of 1948.
The statement explained that these refugees were subjected to repeated internal displacement within Syrian territory due to violence and destruction, while others were forced to flee to neighboring countries or Europe, amid escalating legal and humanitarian challenges, most notably statelessness, complex legal status, and limited services and aid available to them.
The statement also referred to what it described as the “forgotten reconstruction crisis,”in reference to the Palestinian camps that were destroyed during the years of war and still lack the necessary funding for rehabilitation or the restoration of their infrastructure and services, exacerbating the suffering of their residents who live in difficult living conditions.
At the end of its statement, the group called for:
▪︎ Ensuring the safety and protection of Palestinian refugees from Syria under international law
▪︎ Increasing the volume of humanitarian aid to include their basic needs for shelter, food, healthcare, and education
▪︎ Funding the reconstruction operations for the affected Palestinian camps
▪︎ Recognizing the unique and complex legal status of the displaced Palestinian refugees from Syria and working to address it in a way that guarantees their human and civil rights
The group affirmed that the Palestinian refugees from Syria are not merely numbers in displacement records, but individuals living harsh humanitarian experiences that require a fair and comprehensive response to ensure them a safe and dignified future.