Palestinian refugees accuse Jordan police of abuse

JERASH, Jordan – Mohammed Yousef Abu Sulayman is missing his front teeth. The 40-year-old car mechanic lives in the Jerash refugee camp, locally called Gaza Camp for its more than 25,000 refugees whose families fled from Gaza in 1968. As an ex-Gaza refugee without a national ID number, Abu Sulayman has long lived without access to healthcare, full education, representation or any jobs aside from blue-collar labor. Now he also lives without teeth.

Abu Sulayman is one of 16 Gaza Camp refugees who were detained for two weeks in October following a weekend-long clash between the Palestinian camp, neighboring village al-Haddad and Jordan’s public security forces. According to the Jordanian news agency Ammon News, the conflict started as a “tribal altercation” between Haddadi and Gaza Camp residents on the evening of Oct. 3, but shifted into violence between the refugees and police, with tear gas, rubber bullets and rock-throwing throughout the camp.