IRAQ: Whither the Palestinian minority?

News of Abbas's efforts were welcomed by O.A., a 24-year-old Palestinian refugee in Baghdad's eastern Baladiyat neighbourhood who preferred anonymity, but he was not optimistic of rapid improvements.
"We've been hearing such statements and promises since 2003 and nothing has happened. Instead, our life and situation have deteriorated."
He said that in 2005 his father was gunned down in a Baghdad street: Hundreds of Palestinian refugees have been killed in ethnic attacks since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
O.A. was arrested in 2006 and detained for nearly a month by the Iraqi security forces on suspicion of being an insurgent.
Since that time he has been taking the precaution of not carrying on him his Iraqi-issued ID card which mentions his Palestinian origin. He also uses the Iraqi dialect to cover up his true identity and avoid harassment by security forces.
He would leave the country if he had the chance, he said. "We have no hope and no future in this country."