The American Spectator

Special Report

(Page 2 of 2)

br> Arab governments were not so gracious to their Jewish populations. Even before the existence of Israel, anti-Semitic laws were common in Arab states. In Yemen, for instance, Jews were not permitted to ride horses, because they were not supposed to be higher than Muslims, and Jewish orphans under the age of 12 were forcibly converted to Islam. During World War II, Haj Muhammed Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the leader of Palestinian Arabs, was Adolf Hitler's guest in Berlin, and wanted to apply the Nazis' "final solution" to Jews in Palestine and Arab countries. In a radio address to Arabs, al-Husseini declared: "Arabs, rise as one man and fight for your sacred rights. Kill the Jews wherever you find them."

Even if they wanted to leave, Jews were denied their right to migration, and after World War II, the British prevented Jews from emigrating to Palestine. Once the British mandate ended, Israel declared statehood, and war broke out between Israel and the Arab states, the situation became even worse for Jews. Anti-Semitic programs and riots claimed lives throughout the Middle East, Jews had their citizenships revoked, and their land and assets confiscated. The situation continued to deteriorate in the 1950s, as a wave of Arab nationalism spread through the region, and was exacerbated further by the Six Day War in 1967.

The current drive to bring attention to the plight of Jewish refugees is not intended to dismiss any suffering experienced by Palestinians, said Stanley Urman, executive director of Justice for Jews From Arab Countries, but to make sure that displaced Jewish populations are as much a part of the international political agenda as other refugee groups.

In the near term, the focus is on passing two resolutions, one in the House (H.R. 185) and one in the Senate (S. 85). The proposed House legislation resolves that "for any comprehensive Middle East peace agreement to be credible and enduring, the agreement must address and resolve all outstanding issues relating to the legitimate rights of all refugees in the Middle East, including Jews, Christians, and other populations displaced from countries in the region."

It also calls on the President to instruct any U.S. representative to the U.N. or other international forums to use American influence to ensure that any resolution that mentions Palestinian refugees "must also include a similarly explicit reference to the resolution of the issue of Jewish, Christian, and other refugees from Arab countries..." as well as make clear that the resolution of all outstanding refugee issues are integral to any comprehensive peace plan.

So far, the two pieces of legislation have found support in both parties. The House resolution is sponsored by the staunch liberal Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), but includes among its 16 co-sponsors the conservative stalwart Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN). The Senate version is sponsored by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and includes among its five co-sponsors Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS). Reps. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) spoke at Thursday's hearing.

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