[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 7, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H3737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE FORGOTTEN EXODUS: JEWISH REFUGEES FROM ARAB LANDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hensarling). Under a previous order of 
the House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, as Israel and Palestine take steps towards 
peace and as President Bush and the State Department released the road 
map for peace in the Middle East, I would like to draw attention to an 
important issue in the peace process. The issue of refugees is widely 
regarded as one of the most contentious aspects of the Arab-Israeli 
dispute.
  However, up until now the debate has focused primarily on the plight 
of Palestinian refugees and the question of the right of return. Mr. 
Speaker, it is critical that future peace negotiations and discussions, 
specifically on the rights of refugees, address both sides of the 
issue, both Arab and Jewish. Many people do not realize that during the 
years following the establishment of the State of Israel, more Jews 
than Arabs became refugees. It is estimated that over 900,000 Jews were 
stripped of their property and expelled from Arab nations. 
Approximately 600,000 refugees were absorbed and assimilated by Israel, 
and the remaining 300,000 fled to other nations, including the United 
States and Canada.
  At a time, Mr. Speaker, when Jews face severe persecution, economic 
deprivation, discrimination, and expulsion from Arab lands, Jews turn 
to Israel as a place to begin their lives anew. Israel opened her arms 
and welcomed the refugees, granting Arab Jews citizenship and welcoming 
them into Israeli society. Jews in Arab nations were forced to forfeit 
the lives they had worked so hard to achieve, to abandon their homes 
and livelihoods. They had to turn their backs on centuries of Jewish 
history, culture, and community. They had to leave behind schools, 
synagogues, hospitals, and businesses, all without compensation and all 
confiscated by the various Arab governments.
  However, the fact that Israel chose to absorb and assimilate the 
refugees from Arab nations does not lessen the fact that they were all 
expelled or otherwise compelled to leave their homelands.
  I have personally spoken with several of my colleagues in Congress 
about this often-forgotten aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
They agree on the importance of holding a congressional hearing on this 
subject and the need to educate Members of Congress and to ensure that 
they and the public are informed of the issues at stake and the 
sacrifices made by Jews from Arab lands when they were forced to leave 
their homes and countries.
  Mr. Speaker, Congress cannot continue to be silent on the plight of 
Jewish refugees. It is critical that Congress address this issue while 
the refugees are still alive. By doing so, we can ensure that justice 
for Jewish refugees assumes its rightful place in the debate. And this 
must be done while we can still address their rights as victims.

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