Syria government detains 2 Palestinian journalists

Syrian government forces arrested two Palestinian journalists in Syria on Tuesday, a Palestinian group said. Mahmud Nawara and Issa Dour were detained in Damascus by Syrian security forces, the Taskforce for Palestinians in Syria said. Both men work at the Freedom Newspaper, which is affiliated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The Syrian government is still blockading the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, the group added, with people prevented from entering or leaving. Palestinian officials insist that refugees in Syria are not involved in the deadly war rocking the country, citing security concerns for the vulnerable refugee population if they are perceived to take sides. But Syria's uprising has split Palestinian loyalties, with many ordinary Palestinians sympathetic to the uprising by their fellow Sunnis, and others recalling the Syrian government's long-support for Palestinians. In March, the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria said that over 1,377 Palestinians had been killed in the ongoing Syria conflict, with that number thought to have increased significantly since then.