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Ammon News - AMMAN - In the Jordanian desert about fifty kilometers from the Saudi border, a group of Italian archeologists are restoring Qasr Amra, a castle from eighth century Omayyad dynasty. They may soon have company, since the Jordanian government has decided to open a new camp for Syrian refugees in the nearby Azraq. However, not even on this sand will the most unfortunate of the refugees - Palestinians - most likely to be welcomed in.

''For us,'' said Jordan's prime minister, Abdullah Ensour, '' this is a red line which must not be crossed. Welcoming in more Palestinians would mean paving the way for another wave of arrivals. Their right is that of returning to Palestine.'' The Arab world has recently commemorated the Nakba, or 'catastrophe': the May 15, 1948, founding of the State of Israel, which began the Palestinian diaspora. Jordan welcomed in the most Palestinian refugees of any country 65 years ago, as well as in the second large influx due to the 1967 Six Days War.

Two million Palestinians are registered with UNRWA, but taking into account also those not officially considered refugees, Palestinians are believed to account for over half of the six million Jordanians - including Queen Rania. What is happening in the nine new Palestinian camps in Syria seems yet another 'catastrophe'.

''We believe that of the 530,000 registered, at least 70-80 percent have been forced to leave their homes, while 12-15 percent had to flee to other countries,'' UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi said during a visit to a camp in the Homs province. The camps in which they had been living have become a battleground between loyalist forces and rebels, as well as Palestinian militants on both sides. The most well-known case is that of Yarmouk, the camp south of Damascus which has seen clashes and bombardment since last summer, although those of Sbeineh and Husseiniyeh also come to mind.

Of the Palestinians who have fled Syria, becoming refugees twice over, 54,000 have gone to Lebanon and the 12 camps there with over 400,000 refugees already. Another 6,000 have gone to Cairo, where - a UN source told ANSAmed - they have been left to their own devices since UNRWA is not working in Egypt.

Fewer than 6,000 have been welcomed into Jordan and are confined within facilities known as Cyber City. Many others have reported been rejected by the Hashemite regime, who hosts about half a million Syrians and is struggling under the pressure of a serious economic crisis. Restaurants and luxury establishments are doing a brisk trade in Amman, as are such car dealers as the Lamborghini and Ducati ones recently opened, while Ferraris are imported from Lebanon. But this is deceptive, as they are solely for the wealthy and the growing foreign community in the country.

Jordan is becoming ever more a Western backdoor for the conflict. However, the financial crisis under which the government is struggling is forcing it to cut subsidies for primary goods, equal to 18% of its budget. The eliminating of fuel subsidies in the autumn of 2012 gave rise to riots, especially in the southern part of the country, and it is feared that similar incidents could occur when those on electricity come into effect in July. At the same time, Jordanians are getting fed up with competition for jobs with Syrians, who are willing to work for less. (ANSAmed).