When Israel was founded, hundreds of thousands of Jews were expelled from Arab countries, or forced to leave in other ways and their property was seized without compensation. You haven’t heard much about them until recently, but in the last couple of years some groups, individuals and legislators have been bringing this chapter of history into public consciousness. We posted on it here where we discussed the film, The Forgotten Refugees, and here, where we give an overview and more links.
The issue has been in the news lately because the Israeli Knesset (parliament) has been discussing a bill dealing with these refugees. Here’s the most complete report I’ve seen, in the Jerusalem Post of February 18, 2010. It begins:
Israeli lawmakers are seeking a law that will make compensation for Jewish refugees expelled from Arab countries after 1948 an integral part of any future peace negotiations.
Lawmakers put together a bill demanding compensation on behalf of current Jewish Israeli citizens, who were expelled from Arab countries after Israel was established in 1948, leaving behind a significant amount of valuable property.
Originally submitted almost a year ago to the Knesset, the bill passed its first hearing two weeks ago. Now various interest groups are pushing the bill with the Knesset’s 120 members before it is subjected to a second and third hearing next week.
The bill was sponsored by MK Nissim Ze’ev (Shas) and follows a resolution passed in the US House of Representatives in 2008, calling for refugee recognition to be extended to Jews and Christians similar to that extended to Palestinians in the course of Middle East peace talks.
We reported on the Congressional effort here. As the updates to that post show, the resolution passed by voice vote on April 1, 2008.
Compensation is not the only issue, according to a Canadian former justice minister who was at the Knesset during the discussion of the bill.
“We’re not just speaking about financial compensation or indemnification,” Cotler said. “We’re talking about justice for Jews from Arab countries. This speaks to the question of, among other things, rectifying the justice and peace narrative of the last 62 years where the question of Jews from Arab countries has not been part of the narrative.”
“There have been more than 160 UN resolutions on the matter of refugees,” he continued. “All 160 dealt with Palestinian refugees only. I’m not saying they shouldn’t address Palestinian refugees, but I’m saying there’s no justice and no truth if it does not also address the plight of Jews seeking justice from Arab countries.”
The bill is specifically directed at any peace talks with Arab countries.
The Israeli bill stipulates that “The state of Israel will not sign, directly or by proxy, any agreement or treaty with a country or authority dealing with a political settlement in the Middle East without ensuring the rights of Jewish refugees from Arab countries according to the UN’s refugee treaty.”
“In any discussion where the Palestinian refugee issue is brought up in the framework of peace negotiations in the Middle East,” it continues, “the Israeli government will bring up the issue of compensation for loss of property and giving equal status to Arab refugees who left their property after the state was established and to Jewish refugees from Arab countries.”
One website is reporting the bill passed, but as there’s nothing in the Jeruslam Post I’m not announcing that yet.
Update 2/24/10: The World Jewish Congress reports the bill passed in the Knesset. It comments:
Stanley Urman, the head of the advocacy group Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, welcomed the Knesset decision, saying: “The world must realize that Palestinians were not the only Middle‐East refugees; that there were Jewish refugees who also have rights under international law. This recognition is good for the State of Israel and it is good for the people of Israel.”