PLO rejects military offensive in Yarmouk refugee camp

The Palestine Liberation Organisation said on Thursday that it refuses to be involved in any military offensive in the Palestinian Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, calling to resort to other means to protect the Palestinian people.

“We refuse to be drawn into any armed campaign, whatever its nature or cover, and we call for resorting to other means to spare the blood of our people and prevent more destruction and displacement for our people of the camp” the PLO’s Executive Committee stressed in its statement from Ramallah.

The PLO said that it will cooperate with all stakeholders, especially UNRWA and all parties that have an interest in preserving the camp from more devastation and horrors to stop all forms of aggression and armed actions.

The statement said the PLO is keen to maintain equal relations with all parties.

PLO executive committee member, Ahmed Majdalani said earlier in Damascus that his organisation will cooperate with the Syrian regime’s army in its offensive to regain control over the camp.

“They [radical Islamists] have tried to use the camp as a launching pad to expand their scope of clashes and their terror activities inside and outside the camp”, Majdalani said.

ISIS militants seized the Yarmouk refugee camp nearly a week ago after clashes with local militia.