Alex Trelinski
FOUR Palestinians were among a group of people who made a dangerous sea crossing from Algeria to Formentera in the Balearic Islands.
The three men and a woman arrived last Saturday and are said to be the first Palestinian asylum seekers to have made the risky journey to Spain.
The group fled Gaza with the woman married to one of the men, and immigration officials said they were able to prove where they came from- something rare amongst migrants who pay criminals to make the Mediterranean crossing.
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“It is the first time that we have heard about Palestinians using these migratory routes,” said Helena Maleno, the founder of the Caminado Fronteras organisation.
The group, which works for the rights of migrants, has a dedicated phone number for people at risk at sea and another for families.
“A relative of contacted us, telling us that a boat had left Tipasa in Algeria and that there were four people of Palestinian origin on it, including a woman, who were part of the same family and called us because of concern about the fate of these relatives,” said Maleno.
Caminado Fronteras notified the Maritime Rescue services to check if the boat had been intercepted and were told the travellers had been rescued and were fine.
“Palestinians are potential refugees and asylum seekers and it is a sign of a greater diversity of people who make the crossing from Algeria- especially this year,” Helena Maleno commented.
“Now there are very diverse nationalities, of people who are potential refugees and asylum seekers who come from very difficult conflicts.”
