Unwanted refugees: this is why Arab countries fear the Palestinians

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While hundreds of foreigners have been able to leave the Gaza Strip into Egypt through the Rafah crossing in recent days, most Palestinian civilians have been denied rescue. Only injured people or Palestinians with dual nationality were allowed out.

There are no other options for Palestinians to escape, such as a corridor for civilians from Gaza to the West Bank so they can travel from there to Jordan. A way out to Lebanon is currently also not an option. In addition, the flight route to Syria remains closed to Palestinians. The Israelis do not allow refugees into their country, not even for transit.

Even in the unlikely event that the Israeli government changes its mind, this would not really help the refugees. Because the neighboring Arab states are opposed to accepting Palestinians.

Egypt only opens its borders in exceptional cases

“You must stay in your country,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (68) said shortly after the major Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, when Israeli retaliation had only just begun. A comprehensive offensive is now underway – with military operations from the air, from the sea and also on the ground.

The Arab states show direct sympathy for the Palestinians and time and again for Hamas. However, access for Palestinians was already difficult before the attack. Egypt opened the border – just as it does now – only in exceptional cases, for the seriously ill or seriously injured.

An Egyptian citizen summarizes what the Arabs actually think about the Palestinians in a report by “The Insider.” “Guard dogs are kept on a leash in the garden, not in the bedroom. They should threaten your enemies, not your children,” he says. The “dogs” are intended to endanger Israel, not Egypt.

Jordan blocks

Many states in the Middle East fear that people in the Gaza Strip will be permanently displaced. Then Hamas supporters could join forces with ideologically similar jihadists.

The Egyptian government already barely maintains control over the politically unstable Sinai Peninsula, which borders the Gaza Strip. In recent years it has increasingly developed into a haven for militant Islamists. The Egyptian army is now dealing with members of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

Meanwhile, Jordan has had enough of Palestinian refugees. A third of the population already comes from Gaza or the West Bank. If there is another refugee movement, a ‘red line’ has been crossed, King Abdullah II explained in mid-October during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (65). According to The Insider, the Jordanian monarch sees the “fragile national identity” at risk due to a renewed influx of Palestinians.

Gulf states only want rich foreigners in the country

A wave of refugees is also difficult for the Arab neighboring countries for economic reasons. Egyptian economic growth has recently lagged behind expectations, and the situation in Lebanon and Syria is also not the best. While Lebanon is already overwhelmed by the number of Syrian refugees, Syria has been embroiled in a bloody civil war for more than a decade.

And the rich Gulf states? They only want rich foreigners to enter the country. Qatar prefers to host the extremely wealthy leader of Hamas rather than refugees. Iran, in turn, wants to destroy Israel; expelling the Palestinians is not an option.

The Arab world stands loudly and openly on the side of the Palestinians, but when it comes to hosting refugees, it prefers to rely on empty words. After all, you don’t want ‘guard dogs’ in your own ‘bedroom’. (no)

Source: Blick