Palestinian refugees still suffer due to inadequate international protection: Embassy official

Minister Counsellor for Palestine's embassy in India, Wael Battrekhi, on Tuesday said that over seven million Palestinian refugees living in their own land and other neighbouring countries have been suffering for nearly eight decades "without adequate international protection".

Participating in an event to mark International Migrants Day, 2019, held here under the auspices of the Indian Economic Trade Organisation (IETO), Battrekhi said despite as many as 86 resolutions being passed by the United Nations agencies for the welfare, safety and upholding of human rights of Palestinian refugees, none of them were implemented properly.

"Palestinians continue to live in their own country as refugees and face oppression, humiliations and assault from the Israeli forces," Battrekhi said.

"Around 400 Palestine villages which were depopulated by Israel in 1948 are still empty and Jewish religion had been established there," he said, adding that the countries world over maintain "deafening silence" on the issue.

However, Palestine would continue to stand for the independence, freedom and sacrifices of its people, he said.

Due to the war between Arabs and Jews in 1947, emergence of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent capture of Gaza Strip along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967 by Israel, many refugees had even taken shelter in neighbouring countries like Jordan and Syria.

Afghanistan Charge D Affaires in Delhi Naam Taher Qaderi, his counterpart from Panama Ricardo A Berna and Bosnia Ambassador to India Muhamed Cengic outlined how their countries handled the influx of migrants/refugees from their neighbours on different occasions.

Former Union Minister S Krishna Kumar recalled the contributions of the migrant work force from Kerala for the growth of UAE's economy and said Philippines had the best policy for the support and protection of migrants.