Spokane Area Unlikely to See Refugees from Palestine or Israel, Local Organizations Say
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News Story by Tara Roberts | FāVS News
Regional refugee-support organizations aren’t expecting people fleeing the Israel-Hamas war to resettle in the Spokane area.
Mark Finney, executive director of Thrive International, said he does not anticipate Palestinian or Israeli refugees in Spokane because there are not many people in this region “with roots and family connections in those two places.”
“If there are refugees who flee to the U.S. from the conflict, they are likely to go to areas where they already have relatives, friends or others from their original culture,” he said.
In addition, Finney said, people seeking refuge from Palestine are likely to be limited by neighboring countries that have historically refused to let them leave Gaza or the West Bank and resettle elsewhere.
“I’m not a Middle East expert, but I think this is because other geopolitical forces want to use the Palestinians and their suffering as a way to continue to oppose and pressure Israel,” he said. “So, for political reasons I think it’s unlikely that Palestinians will be given the option of fleeing the conflict. …It’s a tragedy, but what is likely to happen is that the Palestinians who have been trapped in Gaza for decades are probably going to endure a horrible military assault with thousands of civilian deaths, and won’t be given access to leave their county either to neighboring Egypt or anywhere else.”
Palestinians stuck in Gaza
On Friday, the Israeli military told about 1 million people in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south, while Hamas told people to stay in their homes. Gaza’s only border crossing with Egypt, Rafah, has been closed due to Israeli airstrikes.
The crossing was expected to open Saturday to allow foreigners out, but “by Saturday evening there had been no movement,” according to the Associated Press. Egyptian leaders have been negotiating ways for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza through Rafah, but are against letting in an influx of refugees.
‘Our hearts are breaking‘
Christi Armstrong, executive director of World Relief Spokane, said her organization doesn’t expect refugees from the war, but federal decisions could change that.
“If the resettlement channels are opened for refugees to come from Palestine and Israel, World Relief Spokane will be prepared and, as always, will look to the many collaborative partners we have in Spokane to join us in creating a warm welcome for everyone who comes,” Armstrong said. “Spokane is an incredibly welcoming city for refugees.”
On the Idaho side, Holly Beech, communications manager for the Idaho Office for Refugees, said she doesn’t yet know how the conflict might affect the local resettlement program.
“Our hearts are breaking with all those experiencing loss, violence and oppression,” Beech said.
Kimmie Curry, community engagement coordinator for the International Rescue Committee in Spokane, referred FāVS News to a press release from IRC headquarters urging protection for civilians and access to aid in Gaza.
Thank you, Tara, for reporting on this matter of great concern. I suspect most refugees from this war will be going to nearby refugee camps such as the one in Jordan supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. One can support these refugees by donating to to ELCA Disaster Relief–Middle East. I’m sufe other faith-based groups also have ways of assisting.
I am not sure this is a completely accurate or complete explanation of the situation. Israelis are unlikely to be refugees in any case. For one, many have multiple passports and citizenships and/or other means to leave for safety. Furthermore, Israeli is not experiencing even a fraction of the mass destruction and dislocation experienced by those in Gaza.
Gaza is slightly larger than Spokane but with 20 times the population. At least as of now it is Palestinians in Palestine territories who are suffering the barbaric and illegal carpet bombing, siege, starvation, deprivation of water, etc., and would therefore be refugees.
“Refugee” is a politically manipulated term. A Salvadoran family, victims of a U.S.-backed regime in El Salvador fled to the U.S. and was provided shelter by a church which declared itself a sanctuary church because U.S. saw people like them as subversives. Many people crossing the US border from Latin America are subject to a litmus test which requires them to accuse the governments and other actors in their countries of origin regardless of realities. Refugee creation through destabilization of economies and societies and engineered violence is a well-honed weapon of U.S. foreign policy and war by other means.
And it is not the case that refugees only go to places where there are others of their background as the history of refugees coming to Spokane shows. Hmong, Mien, Burmese, Africans of various nationalities and others were settled here by a variety of refugee resettlement agencies over the years.