Maya ben-Haim Rosen, the WJC representative in Geneva, told a UN sub-commission on Human Rights, "Truth is the link to justice and peace. There will be no lasting and cohesive peace in the Middle East without also addressing the gross and systematic violation of the human rights of the Jewish communities of Arab lands."
The WJC, in testimony last Friday, presented two recent studies on the issue -- "The Jews of Iraq: A Forgotten Case of Ethnic Cleansing", and "UNRWA, Terror, and the Refugee Conundrum: Perpetuating the Misery" -- to the High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers. The studies document the forced expulsion of the Jews of Iraq and many other Arab countries, and how the UN agency responsible for the Arabs displaced during the Arab war against Israel has been hijacked by terrorist groups. In the past two months, the WJC has submitted the studies to the White House, members of the U.S. Congress, the British parliament, the European parliament in Strasbourg and European and American government leaders.
"The reality is, there were two refugee movements in the Middle East in the years surrounding the birth of Israel. In fact, more Jews fled the Arab countries than Arabs left Israel. There was, in effect, an exchange of populations," said Dr. Avi Beker, Secretary General of the WJC. "But while the Jewish refugees were absorbed into Israel, the Arab refugees were purposely left in refugee camps. Those camps have become centers of terrorist activity, perpetuating not only the misery of the refugees, but the Middle East conflict as a whole.... Ignoring half the story is a recipe for disaster."
In June, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, an intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law, called for the permanent resettlement of Palestinian refugees in their current countries of residence or in third countries as a solution to the refugee problem. "The UN should follow the Council's lead and explore constructive options for the resettlement of the Palestinian refugees," stated Dr. Beker.
The WJC, in testimony last Friday, presented two recent studies on the issue -- "The Jews of Iraq: A Forgotten Case of Ethnic Cleansing", and "UNRWA, Terror, and the Refugee Conundrum: Perpetuating the Misery" -- to the High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers. The studies document the forced expulsion of the Jews of Iraq and many other Arab countries, and how the UN agency responsible for the Arabs displaced during the Arab war against Israel has been hijacked by terrorist groups. In the past two months, the WJC has submitted the studies to the White House, members of the U.S. Congress, the British parliament, the European parliament in Strasbourg and European and American government leaders.
"The reality is, there were two refugee movements in the Middle East in the years surrounding the birth of Israel. In fact, more Jews fled the Arab countries than Arabs left Israel. There was, in effect, an exchange of populations," said Dr. Avi Beker, Secretary General of the WJC. "But while the Jewish refugees were absorbed into Israel, the Arab refugees were purposely left in refugee camps. Those camps have become centers of terrorist activity, perpetuating not only the misery of the refugees, but the Middle East conflict as a whole.... Ignoring half the story is a recipe for disaster."
In June, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, an intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law, called for the permanent resettlement of Palestinian refugees in their current countries of residence or in third countries as a solution to the refugee problem. "The UN should follow the Council's lead and explore constructive options for the resettlement of the Palestinian refugees," stated Dr. Beker.