No free pass for Jordan on refugees

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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hrw.org%2Fnews%2F2013%2F03%2F27%2Fno-free-pass-jordan-refugees&layout=button_count&show_faces=false&action=like&colorscheme=light&width=90&height=21&font=&locale=" title="I Like it" class="service-links-facebook-like" rel="nofollow"><span style="display:none;">Facebook Like</span></a></li> <li class="service-links-printmail last"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.hrw.org//printmail/news/2013/03/27/no-free-pass-jordan-refugees" title="Send to a friend" class="service-links-printmail" rel="nofollow"><img src="/web/20130509063302im_/http://www.hrw.org/sites/all/themes/hrw/images/icons/mail.png" width="21" height="22"/> Email</a></li> </ul></div> <h6 class="node-title"> <a href="/web/20130509063302/http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/27/no-free-pass-jordan-refugees" title=" No free pass for Jordan on refugees"> No free pass for Jordan on refugees</a> </h6> </div> <div class="info"> <div class="meta date"> <span class="created">March 27, 2013</span> </div> </div> <div class="content clear-block filter-text"> <div class="fieldgroup group-news-related"> <div class="content"><div class="field field-type-text field-field-news-author"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <div class="field-label-inline-first"> Author(s): </div> Bill Frelick </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-link-to-original-source"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <div class="field-label-inline-first"> Published in: </div> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/27/no-free-pass-for-jordan-on-refugees/" target="_blank">The Washington Times</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="node-body"><p>At his recent news conference with President Obama, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/abdullah-ii/">King Abdullah II</a> of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/jordan/">Jordan</a> was asked whether he would consider closing <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/jordan/">Jordan</a>’s border to refugees from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/syria/">Syria</a> (“Obama pledges $200M to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/jordan/">Jordan</a> for Syrian refugees,” Web, Friday). “How are you going to turn back women, children?” Abdullah answered, “This is something we just can’t do. It’s not the Jordanian way.” The king’s sentiment is noble, and his open arms for more than 300,000 refugees is laudable. But the Jordanian border is not open to all refugees fleeing <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/syria/">Syria</a>.</p> <p>Palestinians, including women and children, are being turned away. A Palestinian man told me what happened when he approached the Jordanian border with his pregnant wife, a Syrian national, and their three small children: “The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/jordan-army/">Jordan Army</a> said, ‘Your wife can come but you and your children cannot enter.’ I told them we were escaping death. I said, ‘It is impossible for me to go back, kill me now.’ The officer said, ‘That’s not our problem. You have to go back.’”</p> <p>Mr. Obama announced he would ask Congress for $200 million to support Syrian refugees in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/jordan/">Jordan</a>. But the United States should not give <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/jordan/">Jordan</a> a free pass to forcibly return Palestinian refugees. The dangers Palestinians face in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/syria/">Syria</a> are no less than those Syrians face. The United States should provide aid to the refugees but ensure that no aid money goes to or through the Jordanian government as long as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/jordan/">Jordan</a> sends some refugees back to face death - even as it welcomes others.<br/> <span style="display: none;"> </span></p> </div><div class="service-links"><div class="service-label">Share </div><ul class="links"><li class="service-links-facebook first"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hrw.org%2Fnews%2F2013%2F03%2F27%2Fno-free-pass-jordan-refugees&t=+No+free+pass+for+Jordan+on+refugees" title="Share on Facebook." class="service-links-facebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="/web/20130509063302im_/http://www.hrw.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/service_links/images/facebook.png" width="16" height="16"/> Facebook</a></li> <li class="service-links-linkedin"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hrw.org%2Fnews%2F2013%2F03%2F27%2Fno-free-pass-jordan-refugees&title=+No+free+pass+for+Jordan+on+refugees&summary=At+his+recent+news+conference+with+President+Obama%2C+King+Abdullah+II+of+Jordan+was+asked+whether+he+would+consider+closing+Jordan%26rsquo%3Bs+border+to+refugees+from+&source=Human+Rights+Watch" title="Publish this post to LinkedIn" class="service-links-linkedin" rel="nofollow"><img src="/web/20130509063302im_/http://www.hrw.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/service_links/images/linkedin.png" width="16" height="16"/> LinkedIn</a></li> <li class="service-links-printmail"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.hrw.org//printmail/news/2013/03/27/no-free-pass-jordan-refugees" title="Send to a friend" class="service-links-printmail" rel="nofollow"><img src="/web/20130509063302im_/http://www.hrw.org/sites/all/themes/hrw/images/icons/mail.png" width="21" height="22"/> Email</a></li> <li class="service-links-reddit"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hrw.org%2Fnews%2F2013%2F03%2F27%2Fno-free-pass-jordan-refugees&title=+No+free+pass+for+Jordan+on+refugees" title="Submit this post on reddit.com." class="service-links-reddit" rel="nofollow"><img src="/web/20130509063302im_/http://www.hrw.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/service_links/images/reddit.png" width="16" height="16"/> Reddit</a></li> <li class="service-links-stumbleupon"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hrw.org%2Fnews%2F2013%2F03%2F27%2Fno-free-pass-jordan-refugees&title=+No+free+pass+for+Jordan+on+refugees" title="Thumb this up at StumbleUpon" class="service-links-stumbleupon" rel="nofollow"><img src="/web/20130509063302im_/http://www.hrw.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/service_links/images/stumbleit.png" width="16" height="16"/> StumbleUpon</a></li> <li class="service-links-twitter"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hrw.org%2Fnews%2F2013%2F03%2F27%2Fno-free-pass-jordan-refugees&text=%20No%20free%20pass%20for%20Jordan%20on%20refugees" title="Share this on Twitter" class="service-links-twitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="/web/20130509063302im_/http://www.hrw.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/service_links/images/twitter.png" width="16" height="16"/> Twitter</a></li> <li class="service-links-tic-google-plus-one"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/https://plusone.google.com/_/+1/confirm?hl=en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hrw.org%2Fnews%2F2013%2F03%2F27%2Fno-free-pass-jordan-refugees" title="Publicly recommend on Google +" class="service-links-tic-google-plus-one" rel="nofollow"><img src="/web/20130509063302im_/http://www.hrw.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/service_links/images/google_plus_one.png" width="16" height="16"/> Google +</a></li> <li class="service-links-tumblr last"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063302/http://www.tumblr.com/share/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hrw.org%2Fnews%2F2013%2F03%2F27%2Fno-free-pass-jordan-refugees&name=+No+free+pass+for+Jordan+on+refugees" title="Share on Tumblr" class="service-links-tumblr" rel="nofollow"><img src="/web/20130509063302im_/http://www.hrw.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/service_links/images/tumblr.png" width="16" height="16"/> Tumblr</a></li> </ul></div><div class="news-terms"><div class="label">More reporting on:</div> <ul class="news-term-list"><li class="taxonomy_term_229 first"><a href="/web/20130509063302/http://www.hrw.org/middle-eastn-africa/jordan">Jordan,</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_11"><a href="/web/20130509063302/http://www.hrw.org/middle-east/n-africa">Middle East/N. 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