Human Rights Watch (HRW) and UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, took a break from their usual routine of blaming Israel for most of the problems faced by Palestinians on Tuesday and instead urged the government of Lebanon to allow more Palestinians who are fleeing the civil war in Syria to enter their country. “Lebanon is turning people back without adequately considering the dangers they face,” said a statement by HRW. Nearly a million refugees from the Syrian civil war are already in Lebanon, and officials have unofficially confirmed a policy of denying entry to Palestinians, citing the over 420,000 who are already in the tiny Mediterranean country. In related news, a Syrian opposition group reported on Monday that infighting between jihadist groups in eastern Syria has killed close to 100 fighters for various factions and forced tens of thousands of innocent bystanders to become refugees.
