Latest News from Syria – 24 December 2013

– UN declares Syria ‘greatest humanitarian crisis in history’
– Syrian authorities prohibit Palestinians from receiving remittances
– Mass demonstrations in support of bomb-wrecked Aleppo

UN DECLARES SYRIA ‘GREATEST HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN HISTORY’

The United Nations is making its biggest-ever aid appeal (£4bn) to help Syria’s starving civilians. Former British foreign secretary David Miliband, who is now chief executive of the relief charity International Rescue, said the refugee crisis in Syria was “the biggest humanitarian test of the century.” There have been numerous reports of Syrians dying of starvation and malnutrition, or surviving by eating cats, dogs or anything else they can find to eat (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24532793).

Source: The Independent newspaper

Meanwhile, at least 16 children have frozen to death in Syria due to the lack of shelter and food, compounded by unprecedented harsh weather conditions. Thousands more are in danger of dying in destroyed cities or in ill-equipped refugee camps.

Source: Burak Karacaoglu Humanitarian Relief Foundation (a Turkish charity)

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SYRIAN AUTHORITIES PROHIBIT PALESTINIANS FROM RECEIVING REMITTANCES

The Syrian government has issued new orders prohibiting Palestinians living in Syria from receiving money transfers from abroad (through financial services agencies such as Western Union). No official, written copy of the order has been published but many Syrian-Palestinians have reported not being able to receive money sent to them from abroad and being told by staff that it was due to “new orders from the security services.”Like Syrians, many Syrian-Palestinians who have been under siege and bombardment for months, without jobs and amid soaring prices, are totally dependent on remittances for their survival.

Source: Action Group for Palestinians of Syria

COMMENT FROM THE EDITOR:

As if the months-long siege and bombardment on the Palestinian areas in Syria (still called ‘camps’) were not enough to prove how much the Syrian regime cares about Palestinians, this new measure of collective punishment should shut up all sceptics who have been accusing the regime to being a hypocrite on Palestine. It is not only inhumane and against international laws, but also breaches a law passed by the Syrian parliament in 1956 whereby Palestinians are treated on an equal footing with Syrian citizens in terms of civil rights and duties. Thanks to Bashar al-Assad, that is changing now.

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MASS DEMONSTRATIONS IN SUPPORT OF BOMB-WRECKED ALEPPO

Despite increased military operations and very cold, stormy weather conditions, last Friday saw numerous anti-regime protests and demonstrations throughout Syria in support of Aleppo, which has been the target of a vicious bombing campaign by the regime forces. The Independent Syrian Statistics Center of Demonstrations counted at least 23 demonstrations in 21 areas across the country. The name given to this Friday’s demonstrations was: “Anger to Support Aleppo”, which was democratically voted, like every Friday, on the ‘Syrian Revolution’ Facebook page.

Source: Activists News Association (ANA)

A compilation of videos from the protests can be found at

http://revolution-news.com/syrian-revolution-media-demonstration-report-12202013-anger-support-aleppo/

 

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