The Jewish Refugees

The House of Representatives yesterday approved a resolution introduced by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, declaring that "it would be inappropriate and unjust for the United States to recognize rights for Palestinian refugees without recognizing equal rights for Jewish refugees from Arab countries." The resolution goes on to state that the president should instruct American diplomats to "use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to ensure that any resolutions relating to the issue of Middle East refugees, and which include a reference to the required resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue, must also include a similarly explicit reference to the resolution of the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries."

The resolution marks an important point, estimating that "approximately 850,000 Jews have been displaced from Arab countries since the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948." It's hard to see much chance of reaching a final resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict until more of the Arabs, and, for that matter, the Iranians, fully reconcile themselves to Israel's right to exist in peace and security as a Jewish state, which they have not yet done. But if President Bush aims, as he has indicated, to create and recognize a Palestinian Arab state by the end of his term and resolve the issue of the Palestinian Arab refugees along with it, surely Mr. Nadler and his colleagues in the House are correct in insisting that any such resolution of the refugee issue will have to address the claims of the Jewish refugees. Zionism envisioned a homeland for the Jewish people, integrating into Israeli society those Jews who fled other countries. The Arabs have been less welcoming to their own refugees. But if Arabs who have lived in Arab countries are considered refugees, so too should be the Jews who left their own places of birth.