Palestinian Refugees from Iraq Arriving in U.S.

[justashooter 430]

please take into consideration that this topic is a very sensitive subject within the mena forum. off the cuff remarks about it are not appreciated by mena members.

which may explain why i suddenly showed up here.

everybody has something to be sensitive about, until they man up and begin to make their own luck. at that point, they are imperturbable.

[Boiler 45,403]

Imperturbable, first time I have seen that used on VJ. Congrats.

Is the Arab League still going?, seems like they should have sorted it out.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Is the Arab League still going?, seems like they should have sorted it out.

First you suggested these people should simply take a bus to Jordan. Then you reversed yourself, saying they should go back to Iraq instead of to other countries. Now you suggest that the Arab League should clean up the mess caused by the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Make up your mind. (Or maybe you should just stop dithering and say what you seem to really mean: “Who cares what happens to them, as long as they stay in Arab countries and don’t come to the U.S.”)

Here are the facts and figures:

The United States has resettled 2.6 million refugees since 1975. 77% of these came from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (1.4 million) and from the former Soviet Union (more than half a million.)

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have been accepted. Tens of thousands respectively were taken in from Iran, Somalia, Ethiopia, and many more countries.

In contrast, the number of refugees accepted from Iraq is a very small fraction - less than 55,000. The Palestinian Iraqis are an even tinier fraction - some 1350 people.

Since 1948, the U.S. has historically been very reluctant to accept Palestinian refugees (mainly due to pressure from the Israeli lobby) -- it took in just 7 Palestinians in 2007 and 9 in 2008. This makes the acceptance of 1350 Palestinians from Iraq so unusual - it's the largest-ever resettlement of Palestinian refugees in the U.S. in history. Might this be what you are actually concerned about – that there may be some sort of sea-change in U.S. policy?

At least the U.S. is facing some of its moral responsibility for the crisis it created (unlike "certain other countries.")

[Nothing1234 2]

WOM...Have I told you lately that I love you!

Thank you for always remaining calm and sticking to the facts instead of making this a mud slinging free for all that they'd prefer it to be.

Edited February 23, 2010 by Nawal

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Awwwww Nawal I love you too, sweetie

(and why doesn't your PM work ?????)

[Nothing1234 2]

Awwwww Nawal I love you too, sweetie

(and why doesn't your PM work ?????)

Oh! I just reactivated the account. Let me fix it now!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

aight