NEW YORK (EJP)—The World Jewish Congress (WJC) has welcomed the passage in Israel this week of a law naming November 30 as the national day for commemorating the flight of Jewish refugees from Arab lands.
“I am pleased that the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, has designated a day for public institutions to mark the flight of Jews from Arab lands,” said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder.
“The history of this tremendous exodus has been obscured for far too long. The World Jewish Congress has been at the forefront of championing the cause of Jewish refugees from Arab lands from 1948 onward, including by convening important conferences at the United Nations in the past two years urging that the rights of such refugees be considered on an equal footing with those of other Middle East refugees in peace negotiations,” he declared.
In November of 2012 and 2013, Israel’s Mission to the United Nations, the World Jewish Congress and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and Justice for Jews from Arab Countries convened conferences at the UN urging that American and international diplomacy recognize the rights of the Middle East’s Jewish refugees on an equal footing with those of other refugees in the region, including Palestinian Arabs.
“The world has long recognized the Palestinian refugee problem, but without recognizing the other side of the story – the 850,000 Jewish refugees of Arab countries,” Lauder said at the 2013 conference.
“Yet for any Middle East peace process to be credible and enduring, it must ensure that all bona fide refugees receive equal rights and treatment under international law.”