The Arab media was up in arms this week over a plan spearheaded by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon to hold a summit on the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries at the UN in September.
The summit’s main purpose is to push forward the matter of property rights of Jewish refugees who were forced to flee Arab countries after the establishment of the state of Israel and to turn the Jewish refugee issue into a bargaining chip which would make it clear that if the Palestinians voice demands for refugee compensation – demands would also be made from the Israeli side.
Jewish population by country
Sky News’ Arabia channel aired a feature on the issue under the headline: “Israel’s campaign for property compensation for Jews from Arab countries.” A senior official at the Foreign Ministry was interviewed in the feature and claimed that UN Security CouncilResolution 242 which was made after the Six Day War focused on justice for refugees in general, and nor specifically Palestinian or Arab refugees.
Mutual compensation
He further explained that “Israel is trying to claim that Arab countries expelled Jews so they are responsible for compensating them for their lost property. The reality shows that Israel was the one encouraging them to emigrate and created gangs and movements in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco to ease Jewish immigration.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon refuted the allegations, he told Ynet: “There is no basis to this fallacious claim that Jewish organizations pressured refugees into leaving, and even if they did do so, it does not mean they (the Jews) should have been forced to leave everything behind while having their citizenship revoked and being murdered in pogroms.”
According to Ayalon, the State of Israel and other Jewish organizations called on the Jews to make aliyah after their citizenship was revoked. “One of the purposes (of the current initiative) is that there be no permanent agreement without refugee compensation – both Palestinian and Jewish.” More at source
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