Yarmouk…towards the ‘self-distancing’ policy

The Palestinian refugee camp in Syria's Yarmouk has drawn political and media interest after 20 inhabitants were killed and a large number injured in mortar shelling. As usual, the regime accused the opposition located in the al-Tadamon neighbourhood of launching the missiles. The opposition meanwhile has blind faith that the regime and its gangs have committed this crime. As for the story from a Palestinian perspective, it is garbled as well, according to the reference of each side. The regime charged Ahmed Jibril of trying to drag the camp away from the "self-distancing" policy, in line with his Syrian connections, according to sources in Ramallah. Gabriel and some Palestinian factions do not hide their bias to the regime; they are a part of the few remaining alliances that support the regime. They charged the armed gangs with the responsibility of the innocent Palestinian blood spilled in the streets of the camp. On the other hand, some statements, said to come from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) because it is issued by its secret-keeper who is known for his positions and his references, have attacked the Syrian regime extensively. This is not in line with the "self-distancing” policy that was adopted by the PLO since the beginning. Ahmed Jibril and Yasser Abed Rabbo are however polar opposites when it comes to their stances on the Syrian crisis. We have dealt with this phenomenon before and warned of its danger. Hamas, particularly after the departure of its political bureau from Damascus, has not left the grey area in it speech and behavior yet.  The movement refused to sign a statement agreed by the various factions of the National and Islamic Action on Syria. There are reports about the movements’ approach to the Syrian opposition, the Armed Islamic. Ismail Haniyeh has announced anti-regime and pro-opposition statements, but when it comes to the Yarmouk events, it seems that the movement preferred not to accuse any party in particular, wishing that all sides would get Palestinians out of their agendas. Whatever the positions of the Palestinian parties on the Syrian crisis are, it should not ever lose the Palestinian compass of the "self-distancing" policy .The Palestinians do not need a new displacement, they are more affected by attempts to make them play the role of the regime’s gangs in areas of their presence. They are also vulnerable by being engaged in the ranks of the opposition. Both teams are trying to drag the Palestinians into their camp. The Palestinians have withstood these attempts for more than six months, but it seems that the Syrian crisis is escalating which will make the task of the Palestinians to confront these attempts very difficult, due to the geographical overlap of the camp with its neighbours, or because of the presence of Palestinian parties, in Syria, Ramallah and Gaza that want to provide credentials for their references, even if sealed with the blood of the Palestinians and their suffering. Hundreds of displaced Palestinians from Syria to Jordan and Lebanon confront "impossible" conditions. If their Syrian refugee brothers are experiencing hostility from the regime and host countries, the Palestinians experiencing the same bitterness day and night, by the regime and the opposition and several parties in the immigrant countries, to the extent that they are considered a plague which should be gotten rid of. The second, third and fourth displacements of Palestinians from Lebanon, Kuwait and Iraq are still fresh in the minds of today's generation. They do not need a new exodus into exile. They do not need to empty the "ring countries" from the sons and grandsons of the major Palestinian Exodus in 1948. They do not want the third and fourth generations of refugees to disperse in Europe and the Americas .The threat of such forced migration is no less danger than the immigration policies followed by Israel against the Palestinians who are adamant to retain their land, like firm mountains. If we called the Syrians (the authority and opposition) since the beginning of events in their country to "neutralise" the refugee camps, it is more important to urge  the Palestinian factions, national and Islamist, and some leadership officials in supreme authority to maintain a "self-distancing" policy and make the survival of the Palestinian refugee in his camp top-priority. The fate of more than half a million Palestinian  must not be sacrificed for the sake of a trivial "consolation prize" that they get from this regional party or that international body. --- The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.