What's behind PA's call to welcome Syrian refugees?
The Palestinian Authority says it is ready to welcome Palestinian and Syrian refugees displaced from Syria, despite the current unlikeliness of such a measure amid restrictions imposed by Israel.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — As the world watches the Syrian refugee crisis unfold, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is offering to accept Palestinian and Syrian refugees on its soil, calling on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to make this possible. There appears to be widespread doubt, however, that the gesture is anything more than a symbolic effort designed to embarrass Israel.
In addition to the PA's media announcement, President Mahmoud Abbas on Sept. 5 asked Riyad Mansour, the UN permanent observer of the State of Palestine, to promptly tackle the matter with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in order to take the appropriate and necessary measures to host refugees in Palestine.
