BAGHDAD: Iraqi authorities in Baghdad and the administration in the semi-autonomous northern Iraqi Kurdish region have been arbitrarily detaining and deporting Syrian refugees to their country, a leading international rights group said Thursday.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch said it has documented cases in which Iraqi authorities deported Syrians even though they had legal residency or were registered with the UN refugee agency.
The Syrians reported being arrested in raids at their workplace or on the streets, and, in two cases, at residency offices while trying to renew their permits.
According to UNHCR, Iraq hosts at least 260,000 Syrian refugees, with about 90 percent of them living in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq. About 60 percent live in urban areas, while the rest are in refugee camps.
Human Rights Watch spoke to seven Syrians in Irbil and Baghdad between April 19 and April 26 who were being deported — including four at the airport in Irbil waiting to be put on a flight, the statement said.
Sarah Sanbar, Iraq researcher with HRW, said the watchdog was unable to determine the total number of Syrians deported. The group said the deportations have left Syrians in Iraq living in fear.
“By forcibly returning asylum seekers to Syria, Iraq is knowingly placing them in harm’s way,” Sanbar said.
An Iraqi government spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.
Iraqi authorities have also made it increasingly difficult for Syrians to stay legally in the country.
The Iraqi Kurdish regional government in the north has — at Baghdad’s request — suspended visa entry for Syrian citizens as part of broader efforts to regulate foreign labor in Iraq, restricting the Syrians’ ability to enter the Kurdish region for work or refuge.
Many companies in Iraq employ Syrian workers without legally registering them, making them work long hours for low pay.
New rules in the Iraqi Kurdish region require companies to register Syrian workers and pay social security contributions for them. However, some companies make the employees pay half of the social security fees from their salaries.
A Syrian worker in the Kurdish region told the AP that on-arrival fees for a one-month visa for Syrians used to cost $150. Those visas could be extended for up to a year. She spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing she could be deported.
Now, Syrians must be registered with a social security number showing their employer pays taxes on them, he said, otherwise they cannot renew their visas. In Baghdad, a one-year work visa that comes with a social security number costs $2,000.
Host countries that have sheltered Syrian refugees have increasingly pushed for their return home, where the country’s war, now in its 14th year, is mostly frozen along the former front lines. The United Nations and rights groups say Syria remains unsafe for returns.
Human Rights Watch said that in July 2023, returnees from Iraq were reportedly tortured in Syrian military intelligence custody and conscripted into military service.
A leading human rights group calls on Iraq to halt deportations of Syrian refugees
https://arab.news/bcadb
A leading human rights group calls on Iraq to halt deportations of Syrian refugees
- Human Rights Watch said it has documented cases in which Iraqi authorities deported Syrians even though they had legal residency or were registered with the UN refugee agency
- Sarah Sanbar, Iraq researcher with HRW, said the watchdog was unable to determine the total number of Syrians deported
Shipment of ‘heavy’ US-made bombs arrives in Israel
- The war has devastated much of Gaza, resulting in the displacement of much of its 2.4 million population
- In response to concerns over civilian deaths, former US President Joe Biden’s administration had blocked a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, but Trump reportedly approved them after taking office
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that a shipment of “heavy” US-made bombs has arrived in Israel, as Marco Rubio began his first visit to the country as Washington’s top diplomat.
“A shipment of heavy aerial bombs recently released by the US government was received and unloaded overnight in Israel,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to MK-84 munitions recently authorized by President Donald Trump’s administration.
“The munitions shipment that arrived in Israel, released by the Trump administration, represents a significant asset for the air force and the military and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance” between Israel and the US, Defense Minister Israel Katz said in the statement.
The Trump administration had earlier in February approved the sale of more than $7.4 billion in bombs, missiles, and related equipment to Israel.
The sale “improves Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serves as a deterrent to regional threats,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said at the time.
Israel launched a hugely destructive offensive against Hamas in Gaza in October 2023 in response to an attack by the Palestinian group that month.
The war has devastated much of Gaza, resulting in the displacement of much of its 2.4 million population.
A ceasefire has been in effect since Jan.19, providing for the release of hostages seized by Hamas.
In response to concerns over civilian deaths, former US President Joe Biden’s administration had blocked a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, but Trump reportedly approved them after taking office.
A former Israeli negotiator has said Israel missed two opportunities last year to secure a Gaza truce and hasten hostage releases, prompting a swift rebuttal from the premier’s office.
“In my view, we missed two opportunities to sign an agreement ... in March and July” last year, said Oren Setter, who resigned from the Israeli negotiating team in October, in remarks broadcast on Channel 12.
“We did not do everything we could to bring them back as quickly as possible.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused by opposition figures and some families of hostages of not doing enough to secure their release and torpedoing talks.
On Saturday, his office dismissed Setter’s remarks, stating that “his claims that an agreement could have been reached earlier are entirely baseless.”
“Had the prime minister not stood firm, at least half of the living hostages would not have been freed in the first phase” of an ongoing truce, the statement said.
“As repeatedly testified by senior US officials, Hamas refused to engage in negotiations for months and was the sole obstacle to a deal,” the statement added.
Setter clarified that he wanted to “speak about facts” and argued that the deaths of hostages in captivity and “unnecessary suffering” could have been avoided while still placing primary responsibility for last year’s negotiation deadlock on Hamas.
Extremist militias in Lebanon ‘part of history,’ says Druze leader
- Walid Jumblatt calls for ‘stability to prevail’ and end to violence
- Iran halts flights to Beirut after Lebanese authorities suspend Iranian permits
BEIRUT: Extremist militias in Lebanon have become part of history, Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said on Sunday.
In a statement, the former Progressive Socialist Party leader also said that the situation in Lebanon “has changed due to political and military circumstances, as well as the Israeli aggression.”
He said: “We have also agreed to implement international resolutions.”
Jumblatt added: “No one opposes a political confrontation with Israel, but we have seen where the use of arms led us, despite Hezbollah’s significant sacrifices.”
FASTFACT
Lebanon’s army on Sunday urged residents against going to southern areas where its forces had not finished deploying under an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal, after Israeli gunfire killed a woman.
He added: “We do not want a segment of Lebanese society to be a tool in the hands of Iran. After all these wars, we have the right to see stability prevail.”
Jumblatt’s statement comes in the wake of a decision by Lebanese authorities to suspend Iranian flights to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport until Feb. 18.
Hossein Pourfarzaneh, head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Authority, said that in light of “security issues” at Beirut airport, all flights to Lebanon have been canceled until Feb. 18 at the earliest.
Social media users on Sunday called for sit-ins on the airport road for the fourth consecutive day despite the Lebanese army’s decision to prevent the closure of public roads.
Troops used tear gas to disperse protesters who blocked the airport road on Saturday after demonstrations escalated into attacks on UNIFIL vehicles, resulting in injuries, and causing widespread outrage both in Lebanon and internationally.
The army command on Sunday said that its intervention during Saturday’s sit-in on the road to Rafic Hariri International Airport was pre-coordinated with the organizers.
Despite agreeing to stage a peaceful demonstration, a group of protesters blocked the road and attacked military personnel assigned to maintain security, the army statement said.
Vehicles were damaged and at least 23 soldiers, including three officers, were injured in the ensuing violence.
The statement added that military units had to intervene to protect personnel and reopen the road.
Lebanon is waiting to complete deployment of its army in areas that Israeli forces are due to vacate by Feb.18.
However, Israel announced it will not remove its troops from five strategic hills along the border.
With 48 hours remaining for the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops, further Israeli military action took place in several border towns, including Kfarshouba.
A woman was killed and several other people wounded on Sunday when Israeli forces fired on a group of residents attempting to return to the border town of Houla.
Five people, including two paramedics, were also arrested after residents tried to cross earth barriers set up by Israeli forces.
Families bypassed the Lebanese army’s positions and tried to enter the town with the aim of “recovering the bodies of their sons” who were affiliated with Hezbollah and were killed during clashes with Israeli forces.
Khadija Hussein Atwi was killed when Israeli troops fired on the group. Her father had been killed during confrontations with Israel.
Lebanon’s army later urged residents to avoid heading to border areas where its forces had not completed deployment.
In a statement, the army command said that “citizens must not go to the southern regions where the army has not completed its deployment and must adhere to the instructions of the deployed military units, to preserve their safety and avoid the fall of innocent people, given the danger of unexploded ordnance left behind by the Israeli enemy, in addition to the possibility of the presence of enemy forces in those areas.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed the ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of the Israeli troops in a phone call with his Qatari counterpart and Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.
The Qatari foreign minister reiterated Qatar’s support for Lebanon, its unity and territorial integrity.
A statement from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry highlighted “the importance of fully adhering to the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from the Lebanese territories.”
Israel is committed to the ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu said that he expects Lebanon to commit to its role and to disarm Hezbollah.
The US secretary of state said that the Lebanese state “must be strong and able to disarm Hezbollah.”
Hezbollah chief says Israel must fully withdraw from Lebanon by February 18
- Hezbollah secretary general Naim Qassem said: “Israel must withdraw completely on Feb. 18, it has no pretext, no five points or other details... this is the agreement”
BEIRUT: The head of Hezbollah said on Sunday that Israeli troops must withdraw from Lebanese territory in full by a February 18 deadline, saying it had “no pretext” to maintain a military presence in any post in southern Lebanon.
Under a truce brokered by Washington in November, Israeli troops were granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon where they had waged a ground offensive against fighters from Iran-backed Hezbollah since early October.
That deadline was later extended to February 18, but Israel’s military requested that it keep troops in five posts in southern Lebanon, sources told Reuters last week.
In a recorded televised speech, Hezbollah secretary general Naim Qassem said: “Israel must withdraw completely on Feb. 18, it has no pretext, no five points or other details... this is the agreement.”
Qassem said any Israeli military presence on Lebanese soil after February 18 would be considered an occupying force.
“Everyone knows how an occupation is dealt with,” Qassem said, without explicitly threatening that his group would resume attacks against Israel.
Israel’s public broadcaster said on Wednesday the US had authorized a “long term” Israeli troop presence in southern Lebanon.
During the broadcast of Qassem’s speech, at least three Israeli air strikes hit Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. Israel’s military said it conducted strikes after identifying Hezbollah activity at sites containing rocket launchers and other weapons.
US Mideast envoy says phase two Gaza talks to continue this week
- Witkoff said he had “very productive and constructive” calls on Sunday with Netanyahu, Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s director of intelligence
NEW YORK: US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that talks on phase two of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas would continue this week “at a location to be determined” to figure out how to reach a successful conclusion.
He told Fox News that he had “very productive and constructive” calls on Sunday with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt’s director of intelligence.
Witkoff said they spoke about “the sequencing of phase two, setting forth positions on both sides, so we can understand ... where we are today, and then continuing talks this week at a location to be determined so that we can figure out how we get to the end of phase two successfully.”
Frankly Speaking: Is a Palestinian state more remote than ever?
- Riyad Mansour rejects forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, wants Israeli PM Netanyahu to face justice at ICC for war crimes
- The permanent observer of Palestine to the UN says the PA appreciates “Saudi Arabia’s principled position on statehood”
DUBAI: Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of Palestine to the UN, has strongly rejected any proposal to eject the Palestinian population from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt, reaffirming the Palestinian people’s right to rebuild their homeland and establish a state of their own.
Appearing on the Arab News current affairs program “Frankly Speaking,” Mansour also praised Saudi Arabia’s support for Palestinian sovereignty, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of war crimes, and outlined the role of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza’s future.
The controversial proposal floated by US President Donald Trump to take control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt has been met with outright rejection by regional leaders.
King Abdullah II of Jordan, the first Arab leader to meet Trump in Washington since he began his second term, made it clear that Amman would not accept any forced transfer of Palestinians. Instead, Jordan agreed to take in 2,000 critically ill Palestinian children for medical treatment.
Mansour highlighted the unified Arab stance against any forced displacement of Palestinians. “The King (Abdullah II) put on his X account that the Kingdom (of Jordan) is against the transfer of the Palestinians outside of the Gaza Strip,” he told “Frankly Speaking” host Katie Jensen.
“Their position is very firm in order to see the ceasefire holding and the implementation of the agreement. He said that there is no solution except the two-state solution and readiness of Jordan and the Arabs to work with the Trump administration for accomplishing these objectives.”
Following Trump’s remarks earlier this month in which he announced his intention to take over Gaza and remove its Palestinian population, Saudi Arabia issued a strong statement reaffirming Palestinian sovereignty.
“The Kingdom affirms that the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry posted on X. Similar strong statements on the issue have been issued by the Kingdom since then.
Mansour praised Saudi Arabia’s swift and firm stance. “I was not surprised,” he said. “We work very closely with our brothers in Saudi Arabia at all kinds of levels. We are on the same page, that the question of Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people should be recognized.”
He also highlighted the role of the Arab Peace Initiative, first proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002, in shaping the international response to Palestinian statehood. “We appreciate all these principled, very powerful, and strong positions of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“And I believe all of the Arab countries are on the same page with Saudi Arabia in order to push back against those who want... to finish the national aspirations of the Palestinian people.”
Netanyahu, currently facing corruption charges that could lead to a 10-year prison sentence, has come under further scrutiny for his handling of the war in Gaza. Many critics believe his political survival hinges on prolonging the conflict.
Mansour was unequivocal about Netanyahu’s legal and moral accountability. “At the global (level), he is also an international wanted criminal by the ICC. There is a warrant for his arrest as a war criminal and he has to face justice in that International Criminal Court.”
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on Nov. 24, accusing him of using starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population, and of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts — accusations he has rejected.
Similar warrants were issued for Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former minister of defense, and for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, who was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 13, 2024.
While leaving Israeli domestic matters to their citizens, Mansour stressed that the international community must pursue justice for the atrocities committed in Gaza. “The international community will deal with him as a wanted international criminal in The Hague and the ICC.”
Asked whether the conflict in Gaza and the threatened exile of the Palestinian people would have happened had Hamas not committed the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, or if it had agreed to hand over the hostages taken in that attack much sooner, Mansour said nothing justified the “genocidal war” Israel had mounted against civilians.
“The history of the Palestine question did not start on Oct. 7,” he said. “And regardless of what happened on Oct. 7, there is no justification whatsoever for the genocidal war committed against the Palestinian civilians.”
Since the war began, some 64,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to some estimates, while at least 110,000 have been injured, thousands of children orphaned, and countless more having lost limbs in Israel’s bombardment of the enclave.
“These crimes cannot be justified for any reason whatsoever under international law, under morality, under humanity,” said Mansour.
“So therefore, those who are trying to justify this massive amount of killing, because of what happened on Oct. 7, there is no justification for what they did, and those criminals who gave the order to commit these crimes against the Palestinian people, especially the children and women, should face justice and they should receive the punishment that they deserve.”
With ongoing speculation over who will govern Gaza after the war, which has been paused since the ceasefire deal of Jan. 19, Mansour insisted that the Palestinian Authority remains the legitimate government of the State of Palestine.
“We have a legitimate government and we have the recognition of the international community and the Arab official systems of the government of the State of Palestine and the Palestine Liberation Organization as the representative of the Palestinian people,” he said.
He outlined the PA’s responsibility in ensuring governance in Gaza after the war. “Now, those who have this legitimacy, they have also the responsibility to shoulder their responsibilities in terms of doing what needs to be done in the Gaza Strip.”
Mansour pointed to a detailed plan presented by Egypt and shared with the UN, which supports PA governance as a key component of regional peace efforts.
“The legitimate government, which is acceptable by the international community, is the party that’s supposed to be dealing with its full power in terms of its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the Arab League, suggested in a recent interview with Al Arabiya that Hamas should step aside if it serves Palestinian interests.
Asked whether the group should relinquish power, Mansour emphasized the need for Palestinian self-determination.
“We have a lot of issues to deal with internally in the Palestinian house,” he said. “And I believe that we should be left to deal with these issues internally.”
He added that once a permanent ceasefire is in place, internal Palestinian matters can be addressed. “Once we succeed in putting an end to this war and make the ceasefire permanent, there are a lot of things that we need to deal with internally,” he added.
Trump’s suggestion that many Palestinians would rather leave Gaza permanently has been widely condemned by Arab leaders. Mansour dismissed the claim, pointing to the recent return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to their war-ravaged homes in the north of Gaza.
“The answer was given by our people who marched in two days, in the span of a few hours, by marching from the south to the north in more than 450,000 people,” he said.
“They knew that they were going back to destroyed homes and properties, but loving the land and the place where you were born and where you have memories and you have dreams, it is so valuable to us. It is in our DNA as Palestinians.”
Mansour reaffirmed that the Palestinian people will never accept forced displacement.
“The answer came from those who marched on their feet, not even by vehicle, from the south to the north, old, young, all of them going back to these places. So that is the answer of those of our people whom some say that they have no choice but to leave. No, they have a choice.
“They are returning to the place that they cherish and love. This is the meaning of why do people fight for their national homelands? Why do they defend it with all of their might? Because they love it and they’re attached to it and they want to be in it.
“That is so applicable to us, the Palestinian people, and for those who do not know us, this is a very important component of our being as Palestinians, of how much we love our homeland, how much we love our land and our country, whether it has palaces on it or whether it has destroyed homes.
“It is our land and we don’t have any other country except the country that we love, which is Palestine.”
