Iraq 'vows to protect' Palestinians

[Turborama]

Source: Al Jazeera English

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has received guarantees that Iraqi leaders will protect Palestinians living in Iraq.

The assurance was given on Sunday during his first visit to the country since the US-led invasion in 2003, which toppled Saddam Hussein from power.

Abbas said that the Iraqi officials he met consider Palestinians living in Iraq to be "part of the Iraqi people, so we believe that they are in safe hands".

He praised Iraq's pledge to support Palestinians, but did not publicly mention reports of human-rights abuses against Palestinians living in Iraq.

"We would like to thank the Iraqi government for its concern about Palestinians living in Iraq," Abbas said after a meeting with Jalal Talabani, his Iraqi counterpart.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/04/200945174223415449.html

---

This is indeed good news for Palestinians living in Iraq, as can be seen in this in-depth Amnesty International report...

Iraq - human rights abuses against Palestinian refugees: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE14/030/2007/en/dom-MDE140302007en.html

[GoesTo11]

1. The Palestinians have always had great friends and protectors throughout the Arab world

Iraq is one of many that have helped them to reach their current situation.

[Turborama]

3. Is there a sarcasm emoticon missing there?

I'm only asking out of genuine curiosity and trying to work out the obfuscations in that comment, not trying to be argumentative.

[GoesTo11]

4. Yes, to some extent

The Palestinians may not have had such great protectors, but the other Arab countries such as they are sure did help them get to their current situation.

[Turborama]

5. Thanks for that

The Arabian countries' relationship with the Palestinians is a complicated issue and sometimes it can be difficult to work out where people are coming from at 1st sight.

[trthnd4jstc]

2. Someone needs to protect the Palestinians. What recently happened with all the civilian deaths in

Gaza was horribly wrong, and unjustified.

[Vidar]

6. Somebody needs to.

[Winterblues]

7. Hmm that was what Bush* used as his justification for invasion.

Saddam paid widows of Palistinian suicide terrorist $25 thousand dollars and because of that the USA said he supported terrorism and needed to be invaded.