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Abbas Urges UN to Help Palestinian Refugees in Syria


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a meeting of the Palestinian leadership at his compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah, November 16, 2012.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a meeting of the Palestinian leadership at his compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah, November 16, 2012.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wants Palestinian refugees living in Syria and affected by the fighting there to be able to enter the West Bank or Gaza Strip.

The official WAFA news agency said Abbas on Wednesday urged United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help the refugees get to Palestinian territories.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency says more than 486,000 Palestinian refugees were living in nine official and three unofficial camps in Syria.

The Yarmouk camp in the Syrian capital, Damascus, has been the site of heavy fighting this week, including a deadly airstrike by a Syrian warplane.

The camp was established in 1957 and is home to the largest Palestinian refugee community in Syria.
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