An Important Message to our Members

Last week, our Facebook page was attacked by spammers who tried to post lots of messages in support of Bashar Assad, president of Syria. The attack, orchestrated by the Assad government, was a crude attempt to change the international discourse about the recent government led brutality. The attack failed. Very quickly, the page from which they called to spam FreeMiddleEast, as well as other human rights groups and news networks was removed by facebook.

Still, we did not delete their spam. You can simply look at our previous Facebook post and see all the pro-Assad comments.
A few thoughts come to mind:

1. It is impressive that in a short space of time, FreeMiddleEast.com has become significant enough that the Syrian government chose to attack it. Their targets were specific and carefully chosen. In some weird way, this attack has proven that FreeMiddleEast.com is a success story.

2. FreeMiddleEast.com believes in free speech. However, we are completely opposed to spam. Therefore, we would like to ask you, our fans: How do you think we should monitor activity on our Facebook page? Should we allow all speech or should we filter out offensive comments or spam?

3. We might be doing well, but the fact that Bashar Assad is still in power, killing his own people, reminds us of the urgency of our cause. Please get your friends to join us in our battle!

Tell your friends to sign up to: www.FreeMiddleEast.com
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/FreeMiddleEast
Subscribe to us on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/FreeMiddleEast



Mahmoud Abbas, Leader of Palestine?

While Palestinian leader, Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) plays games on the international stage, his people in the Gaza Strip suffer.

Please watch, comment on YouTube, like it on YouTube, like it on Facebook and pass it along!



The Syrian Dilemma: In the Grip of the Assad Dictatorship

Syrian UprisingsFor the last 45 years the Assad run dictatorship of Syria has ruled Syria with an iron clad grip. The discriminatory policies and actions embraced by this dictatorship are one of the driving forces behind the continuing multi-faceted apartheid in the Arab world.  A striking example is the recent uprisings and protests against the Assad regime. Up until mid July, the 2011 protests have resulted in over 1400 civilian deaths (Arabia MSN, 2011).  Recently, 100’s more have been murdered in the city of Hama and the port city of Latakia.

The policies and decisions taken against Syrian minorities and ethnic groups have brought the injustices of the regime to light. It is well documented that Kurds are persecuted in Turkey. Less well know is that the Kurds are vehemently discriminated against in Syria as well.  Syria has an “Arabization policy” which restricts Kurds in the practice of their customs. The Kurdish language, holidays, marriage and right to organization are all effected by these restrictions.  In 1962 the Syrian government initially stripped citizenship or denied citizenship to over one hundred thousand Kurds (HRW, 1996). This effectively left these Kurds stateless with no claim to another nationality.  This discriminatory measure was echoed through the Assad regime in 2008 with decree 49 which dispossessed Kurds of their lands in the claimed “Arab Belt” (KurdWatch.org, 2010).  This policy bolsters the government backed discrimination against minorities and non-Syrian populations.

The Palestinian population of Syria is another group adversely effected by the prejudiced policies of the Assad dictatorship. Not only are they restricted in their entrepreneurial choices, housing and religious freedoms but they are prohibited from being granted Syrian citizenship and are forced to remain “stateless.”  Despite the regime’s attempts to legitimize these actions this policy is one of racism and a form of cultural segregation. The fact that Syrian leadership has set criteria for this group to claim citizenship not only obstructs their path to freedom it bars them from their basic right to equal dignity.  As the Assad family throne gets handed down the negative treatment of Palestinians and other groups has only increased from the dictatorship’s harsh policies. The Syrian government chooses to perpetuate the status of “refugee” for these people instead of offering them a path to better their lives. Palestinians are not only refused citizenship the Syrian regime prohibits these “non-Syrians” from being autonomous leaving them completely un-governed.  (UNHCR, 2008)


Apartheid is alive and well in the Arab World and particularly in Syria. Many are now calling for the Syrian dictatorship to be brought to justice. The purpose of the Arab spring is to encourage the blossoming of clear and peaceful democracy upon nations which have suffered from despotic regimes.   The efforts of the Syrian people to overthrow the Assad regime should be welcomed and supported by all those who wish to see justice, freedom and peace in the Middle East.

Michael Haddad, Guest Contributer.

KurdWatch.org. (2010, August 10). Kurdistan report: decree 49 — dispossession of the Kurdish population?. Retrieved from https://www.newroz.com/en/kurdistan/346239/report-decree-49-dispossession-kurdish-population

HRW. (1996). Syria: the silenced Kurds. Human Rights Watch, 8(4). Retrieved from http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1996/Syria.htm

Arabia MSN. (2011). Syrian army readies operations near iraq border: report. Retrieved from http://arabia.msn.com/News/MiddleEast/youm7/2011/July/7588658.aspx

UNHCR, UN Refugee agency. (2008, December 19). Campaign to change unfair citizenship law continues. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/category,COI,IWPR,,SYR,4959de2a1e,0.html



Palestinian Refugee Resource Pack

To find out more about how Palestinians are treated in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and beyond, please download our resource pack.

Palestinian Refugee Resource Pack





New Movie: Palestinian Refugees: Human Rights Denied

Please watch our latest movie and pass it on…




Humanitarian treatment for Palestinian refugees

One of the most serious humanitarian problems facing the Middle East today is the Palestinian refugee crisis. In the years following the wars which coincided with Israel’s creation many Arab inhabitants, of what was previously known as Palestine, fled their homes – some willingly, others unwillingly.

These refugees were placed in camps throughout the Middle East. Arabs deciding to stay in Israel received full citizenship. Although there are certain internal societal issues in Israel which need to be addressed with respect to Arab society, the Arabs in Israel nonetheless have full political rights.

The Arabs who fled Israel were placed in refugee camps throughout the Middle East. The main camps were in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank (which was at that time Jordan) and the Gaza Strip (which was then under Egyptian control.)

There is a disagreement between Israeli and Palestinian sources as to the original number of refugees. Israelis claim it was around 520,000 while Palestinians claim it was around 850,000.

Those estimates might appear large but they are not even close to the numbers currently given by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) of “recognized” Palestinian refugees: 1,396,368 in camps and 3,370,302 not in camps.
What is to account for the sky rocketing numbers?

According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees descendants are not included in the definition of refugees. Although the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) does sometimes provide support to the children of refugees they are not included in that group. Palestinian refugees are not under the responsibility of the UNHCR but rather an older body, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA, unlike UNCHR, includes descendants of refugees as well as the refugees themselves in their estimates.

Many of the people classified as refugees live in their own homes. In Jordan, the country with the biggest Palestinian population, they were granted full citizenship and were fully assimilated into the country. Regardless, the UNRWA decides to count them as refugees. (JCPA)
While the political implications of the UNRWA definition are clear what is even more important is the humanitarian implications of this definition.

By counting descendants of refugees as refugees themselves the UNRWA inadvertently grants legitimacy to the many governments who still hold Palestinians in camps instead of assimilating them into their general population. If they can be kept as refugees then it is legitimate to keep them in these camps and use them as political pawns.

This fact was confirmed by the former head of UNRWA, Ralph Galloway, when he said: “The Arab states do not want to solve the refugee problem. They want to keep it as an open sore, as an affront to the UN, and as a weapon against Israel. Arab leaders do not give a damn whether Arab refugees live or die.” (1958)

This is what led to the horrific conditions in which Palestinian refugees are currently being held. Let’s look at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp as an example. There are 31,023 refugees in that camp and only one health center which sees over 494 patients per day. Over 8,620 people are registered as special hardship cases. Most rely entirely on the UNRWA to provide assistance for education, health and relief and social services. Since they are not assimilated and considered foreigners Palestinian refugees are prohibited by law from working in more than 70 different trades and professions. They have no social and civil rights in Lebanon.

This situation is unique to the Palestinian refugee problem. Although ordinarily the initial generation of refugees suffers from poverty and hardship, within one generation the population assimilates into its host country. Examples of such second generation refugees include the former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, as well as all the descendants of the refugees from the Holocaust, by far the most devastating event inflicted on any group in the twentieth century.

For those of us concerned about the humanitarian conditions under which the Palestinian refugees live there is hope. You can start putting pressure on both the UNRWA (their contact information is listed below)and the Arab countries to work towards the proper assimilation of the Palestinian refugees within their countries. Even if politically inconvenient for some, this assimilation is absolutely necessary to ensure the basic human rights of the Palestinian population. Instead of pointing the finger of blame at others, Arab leaders must begin to work towards the successful integration of the Palestinian population within their own borders.

UNRWA Representative Office, New York Director, UNRWA Representative Office – Andrew Whitley One United Nations Plaza, Room DC1-1265, New York, NY 10017, USA Telephone: (+ 1 212) 963 2255, (00 1 212) 963 1234 Fax: (+ 1 212) 935 7899