Dozens of Palestinians from Al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria have been refused entry to Jordan as they flee from the Syrian army’s bombardment. Al-Jazeera reported that the refugees tried to cross into Jordan last week through Al-Jaber border crossing.
According to the news reports, Palestinian refugees with Jordanian IDs were allowed to enter the country, while their children who are not citizens are being refused entry.
Several media and statistics sources say that more than 126,000 Syrian refugees have been absorbed by Jordan. However, Palestinian refugees fleeing from Syria are being placed in compounds under strict conditions. They are being banned from entering Jordanian cities.
When asked by Al-Jazeera why Palestinians are not being allowed to go to the cities, a government spokesman, Samih Ma’aytah said: “Jordan is not obligated to pay a political price for the Syrian crisis.”
The Hashemite Kingdom, he added, does not prevent the return of its citizens, “but the transfer of Palestinian refugees from Syria to Jordan is something that Jordan cannot bear”. He noted that the matter of Palestinian refugees in Syria is “purely political”, before discussing any humanitarian aspect.
Palestinians form a large majority of the Jordanian population. Observers said that the government fears that a large flow of Palestinian refugees will change the demographic balance.