The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.): Information on the treatment of the Palestinians in the U.A.E.
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ARE7244 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.): Information on the treatment of the Palestinians in the U.A.E., 1 November 1990, ARE7244, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad5f24.html [accessed 20 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the information currently available to the IRBDC, the U.A.E. has been a firm supporter of the PLO since the 1970s (Nyrop, p. 302). However, the U.A.E. authorities have been concerned about the presence of non-native Arab nationals in their country who constitute a significant percentage of the U.A.E.'s population. They are concerned because the non-native Arabs in general and the Palestinians in particular have been perceived as the importers and promoters of radical and potentially subversive ideas which may endanger the status-quo in the U.A.E. (Ibid., pp. 300-301).
It seems that the Persian Gulf crisis has severed U.A.E. relations with the Palestinians to some extent. It is possible that the refusal of the PLO to take a stand against Iraq has contributed to this situation. According to a BBC broadcast, the U.A.E. security forces apprehended and deported 500 Palestinians early in August 1990 (BBC Summary, 17 August 1990). In addition, an unknown number of Palestinians was reported to be under arrest for (presumably) the PLO's condemnation of the American military presence in the Persian Gulf (Ibid.).
The BBC Summary reports a U.A.E. Palestinian-run newspaper's condemnation of the PLO's stand on the Persian Gulf crisis (18 September 1990).
A representative of the Palestine Information Centre in Ottawa (PIC) declined to confirm ill-treatment of Palestinians in the U.A.E. although he did not deny the existence of unspecified problems (telephone interview, 16 November 1990). Another representative of the PIC in Ottawa stated that the Palestinians who had been in the U.A.E. prior to the Persian Gulf crisis could still stay and work there. She added that the U.A.E., however, has refused to issue visas and work permits to those Palestinians wishing to enter and work in the U.A.E. since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (telephone interview, 16 November 1990). Both representatives stressed that they had not received any official report on the ill-treatment of the Palestinians in the U.A.E.. Therefore, they could not confirm or deny mistreatment of the Palestinians in the U.A.E..
Corroboration of the above information is currently unavailable among the published sources held by the IRBDC in Ottawa.
Bibliography
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. "Palestinian-run Paper in UAE Attacks PLO on Gulf Stand." 18 September 1990.
BBC Summary of World Broad casts. "Iraqi Agency Reports 500 Palestinians Deported from UAE, Others Arrested." 17 August 1990.
Nyrop, Richard F.. Persian Gulf States: Country Studies.
Washington D.C.: American University, 1984.
Attachments
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. "Palestinian-run Paper in UAE Attacks PLO on Gulf Stand." 18 September 1990.
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. "Iraqi Agency Reports 500 Palestinians Deported from UAE, Others Arrested." 17 August 1990.
Nyrop, Richard F.. Persian Gulf States: Country Studies. Washington D.C.: American University, 1984., pp. 300-302.
