As many as 30 Palestinians who fled Iraq to Jordan due to the Iraq war in 2003 are expected to fly to Brazil on Thursday for resettlement, said a spokesperson with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
"We can finally say these people will be able to enjoy safe living conditions away from death and destruction heading to secure environment in Brazil," said Sybella Wilkes, public information officer with UNHCR.
The Palestinian refugees from the Rweished refugee camp, 70 km from the Iraqi border, will be received in Brazil by other family members who have already settled and moved to their new homes in Sao Paulo state and Rio Grande do Sul.
"The other groups are enjoying life in their new communities. Brazilian neighbors welcomed them with opened arms," Wilkes was quoted by The Jordan Times.
With the departure of this batch, only nine refugees of a total of 108 Palestinians will remain in the desert makeshift camp awaiting resettlement in a third country. Discussions are underway to have the last group resettled before the camp is permanently shut down in the coming weeks, according to Wilkes.
Brazil agreed to host more than 100 Palestinian refugees after several Western countries with strict immigration policies refused to host them.
Wilkes said the Palestinian refugees have been receiving orientation lessons at the hands of experts to familiarize them with living conditions and lifestyle in Brazil. They have been given Portuguese lessons to facilitate their integration into the new environment.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians took refugee in Iraq after the 1948 war with Israel, which also led to the immigration of thousands of Palestinians to other neighboring countries. The Iraq war in 2003 made those refugees became targets for death squads in Iraq, forcing them to once again seek a new shelter.
Rweished camp was erected by Jordanian authorities with the help of humanitarian groups including the International Red Crescent and local charity groups to accommodate refugees coming from Iraq.
Nearly 1,500 people with various nationalities including Sudanese, Somalis, Iraqis, Palestinians and Iranian Kurds arrived in this camp immediately after the war began.
Over 1,750 Palestinians from Iraq remain stranded along the Iraqi-Syrian border in deplorable conditions. Another estimated 13,000 Palestinians continue to be targeted, harassed, threatened and killed in Baghdad, said the UNHCR.
Source: Xinhua
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