The sources said Assad has used at least one insurgency movement to
recruit Palestinian refugees. They cited the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine-General Command, led by Syrian Army Capt. Ahmed
Jibril and financed by Iran.
On June 6, at least 11 Palestinians were killed in clashes with PFLP-GC
in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk in Damascus, Middle East Newsline reported. The fighting began
when Palestinians, protesting the movement's recruitment of refugees to
assault the Syrian border with Israel, stormed PFLP-GC headquarters.
"They [PFLP-GC] came to people and offered them large amounts of money
to march to the Israeli border even though they knew that the area was full
of mines," the source said.
The Assad regime said 23 people were killed and 350 were injured during
the June 5 march to the Israeli border along the Golan Heights. Israel and
the United States said the march was organized by the Assad regime to divert
attention from the Syrian revolt.
The sources said the Assad regime, through PFLP-GC, the Popular Front
for the Liberation of Palestine and other groups, were trying to recruit
Palestinians to help quell the growing protest
movement. They said Palestinians were being sought amid reports that Syrian
soldiers were refusing to shoot at civilian demonstrators.
"There is considerable sympathy in the refugee camps for the
opposition," another Palestinian source said.