Yarmouk refugee camp is home to thousands of Palestinian refugees in Syria. Many of the Palestinian families who fled Palestine still hold keys to their homes, in the hope of returning one day.

Twenty-five Palestinian refugees who managed to es­cape persecution in Iraq and find their way to Norway are living in harsh conditions after their asylum appli­cations were refused; some have deportation (“forced relocation”) orders pending. The Norwegian immigra­tion service based its decision on a June 2012 report issued by its land information branch, stating that Iraq is now safe for their return. The report quoted Mo­hamed Abu Bakr, charged with managing the file of the Palestinian refugees in Jordan, who said that “the living conditions for Palestinians in Iraq is now much better than it used to be back in 2003.” He added, “Palestinians today have the same citizenship rights as the Iraqis.”