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PFLP-GC says Palestinian brigade in Syria 'dangerous'
[Ma'an] A Paleostinian faction in Syria aligned with  Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Trampler of Homs... said Friday that reports of a rebel-formed Paleostinian brigade to challenge their authority was a "dangerous development." Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they had begun arming Paleostinians to establish the Liwa al-Asifah (the Storm Brigade) to wrest control of Damascus ...Home to a staggering array of terrorist organizations... ' Yarmouk refugee camp. The largest Paleostinian camp in Syria, Yarmouk is largely under the control of the  Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine - General Command. Rebels accuse the faction of attacking them and cracking down on dissent against Assad.PFLP-GC politburo member Hussam Arafat said on Friday that arming anti-Assad Paleostinians would constitute a real danger to all Paleostinians living in Syria. Paleostinian officials insist that refugees in Syria are not involved in the deadly war rocking the country, citing security concerns for the vulnerable refugee population if they are perceived to take sides. But Syria's uprising has split Paleostinian loyalties, with many ordinary Paleostinians sympathetic to the uprising by their fellow Sunnis, and others recalling the Syrian government's long-support for Paleostinians. Divisions over arming camps Arafat said the PFLP-GC was protecting Paleostinian refugee camps with local brigades to fend off "terrorist attacks." The faction's involvement in armed brigades has drawn the criticism of other Paleostinian politicians. Senior Fatah official in Damascus Mohamed Abu al-Qasim said Thursday he continued to reject PFLP-GC's arming of local committees, "as they will do more harm than good." Al-Qasim also denied the rebels' touting of a Paleostinian brigade as a "media fantasy". "We are still suffering from the militarization of the Paleostinian refugee camps in Leb, but we in Syria for 60 years have stayed away from political and armed disputes inside Paleostinian refugee camps," he told Ma'an. In August, the director of the PLO's politburo in Damascus Anwar Abdul-Hadi blamed the PFLP-GC for drawing deadly attacks on Yarmouk camp by arming Paleostinians. "We reject this completely because our protection is the responsibility of the state of Syria, and we are only guests there," he said. Even within the group, bigwigs have protested Secretary-General Ahmad Jibreel's open support for President Assad. Six members of PFLP-GC's central committee were reported in August to have resigned in protest. In his comments on Friday, the PFLP-GC official echoed rhetoric from the Assad regime, blaming rebel fighters for a foreign-controlled plot. Their announcement of a Paleostinian brigade demonstrates a Zionist plot, which will involve Paleostinians in the conflict and result in their deportation from Syria, Arafat said. Syria is home to nearly 500,000 UN-registered Paleostinian refugees. An additional 120,000 Paleostinians reside in Syrian cities. In August, Paleostinian official Muhammad Shtayyeh said around 400 Paleostinians had been killed in the internal conflict, although that figure is estimated to have significantly increased in recent months. The UN agency for Paleostinian refugees said shelling of the Husseiniyah neighborhood of Damascus killed eight Paleostinian refugees on Sunday, six of whom were reported to be children playing in a public playground. On Monday, another refugee who had gone missing was found dead, and four Paleostinian relatives were among the casualties of a minibus kaboom near Damascus, UNRWA said. Posted by: trailing wife 2012-11-03 |
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