Hundreds of Palestinians have fled Syria's bloody conflict to Lebanon, which hosts the largest Palestinian refugee camps in destitute conditions. The new influx is underreported and neglected It's been 18 months since the Syrian uprising began. The death toll -- estimated at anything between 23,000-33,000 -- is mounting. Some 1.5 million Syrians have been displaced and the atrocities committed by the Bashar Al-Assad regime are allowing little attention to be paid to the situation of 500,000 Palestinian refugees based in Syria. Because of their refugee status, the legal position of Palestinians in Syria, like in all Arab countries, is volatile. Even in normal times they don't enjoy the same rights as the citizens of the country that's hosting them. Faced with the bloody conflict in Syria, these refugees are in a double dilemma: most of them have nowhere to go, nor the financial means to flee. If they stay their lives are at serious risk. Earlier this week one of the largest refugee camps in the region, Al-Yarmouk, where approximately 150,000 Palestinians live in rural Damascus, was repeatedly shelled by Syrian troops. Because of the chaos surrounding the conflict, the situation of Palestinian refugees in Syria remains vague. A rare report released this week by the Lebanon-based Palestinian Institution for Human Rights (Shahed) on Palestinian refugees who fled Syria to Lebanon provides some insight into the issue. According to the report, approximately 400 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict so far, despite efforts to remain neutral towards the crisis amid their already precarious situation. Based on estimates by charity organisations, popular committees, Lebanese security forces and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) until 3 September, 1,837 Palestinians families (7,000 people) fled Syria to Lebanon, which is the third largest host country for the Palestinian Diaspora -- after Jordan and Syria -- with a little less than half a million refugees since 1948. These families are survivors and descendants of the 1948 Palestinian Nakba (the "catastrophe", referring to the creation of Israel on occupied Palestinian land) and the 1967 war with Israel. Having to seek refuge again is described by the report as "asylum after asylum" where seeking safety now means a "new journey of torture" under difficult legal, economic and social conditions. While fleeing the war is the number one reason for leaving Syria, the report says that many refugees report that price hikes, shortages in food supplies, and a lack of jobs because of the security situation, are also forcing them to escape. These Palestinians lived in Al-Yarmouk, Sayeda Zeinab and Al-Hagar Al-Aswad camps in Syria. Many more in Syria are expected to follow suit, whether to Lebanon or Jordan. The Lebanese authorities now allow these refugees entry because of the situation in Syria after an agreement was reached with several Palestinian factions until a legal formula is announced. But despite promises by Lebanese officials to coordinate with UNRWA to support these refugees, none has been provided, in sharp contrast with the support given to Syrian refugees, the report notes. Thus far, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have been distributed across several refugee camps, especially those located near the Syrian border, such as Nahr Al-Bared in Tripoli, Al-Jaleel in Al-Beqaa and also in Beirut and Sidon (South Lebanon). The vast majority settled in the homes of relatives and distant relatives, or Lebanese families who offered to host them, while some who had the cash or nowhere to go live in rented apartments in and outside the refugee camps. But moving entire families into the small (60 square metre) apartments of Lebanon's destitute refugee camps is a heavy burden on the hosts, some of whom had to leave their homes to make room for the guests. The report says that UNRWA made an initial database of the new refugees, but until 3 September hasn't provided food rations, financial assistance or housing solutions for them. The refugees lack adequate healthcare, are jobless and pose a challenge to Palestinian NGOs in Lebanon who are originally mandated to provide support for Lebanon's Palestinian population. As the school year approaches, it's unclear how their children will continue their education, and who will pay. Meanwhile, UNRWA, which is already struggling with its budget, launched an urgent appeal on its website for donations starting at $30 to feed a poor family per week. According to UNRWA, 9,591 Palestinians fled Syria and the number is likely to rise. "Syria is not just another headline in a bewildering morass of media images," the appeal urged. "For us, it is a daily and an hourly reality, involving the lives of the people we serve. That's why we need your help now."
