Damascus – Action Group
A Palestinian woman from 1967 residing in Syria has made a humanitarian appeal to the relevant authorities, demanding justice and the ability to obtain “Syrian-Palestinian-” status, like others whose records have been regularized by the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees, after years of administrative follow-up to no avail.
In her appeal, the woman stated that she was born in Syria to a Syrian mother, holds a passport issued by the Palestinian Embassy in Damascus, and holds a Syrian residency permit that expired years ago. She explained that she and her family regularly visited the Immigration and Passports Directorate and received a “pending paper” that was renewed every three months, without their official registration being completed.
She added that she had submitted several official requests to the Ministry of Interior to obtain “Syrian-Palestinian” status, and that she had obtained approval after extensive efforts. However, the decision has not yet been implemented, citing a lack of instructions or coordination with the ministry.
She noted that the authority later informed her that her papers had been lost due to theft, forcing her to hire a lawyer to re-issue the decision and follow up on the process, to no avail. She continued, “I was forced to travel outside the country, and upon my return, I entered the country with a visa, even though I am a daughter of this country, born and raised among my family. But today, I have no residency or identity card to prove my legal affiliation.”
The woman expressed her pain at being unable to exercise her basic rights, such as work, continue her studies, or even own a phone line in her name, due to the lack of a national number or official record that lists her status as a “Syrian-Palestinian.” She concluded her appeal by asking the relevant authorities about the reason for the lack of coordination between the Ministry of Interior and the General Authority for Refugees, despite previous official statements calling on unregistered Palestinians to complete their registration. She also demanded justice and to grant her the right to official registration, which would allow her to live a normal life like the rest of her community.