Israel envoy says he’ll seek UN recognition of Jewish refugees from Arab states

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon says he’ll submit a resolution to the UN General Assembly seeking international recognition for Jewish refugees who were forced out of Arab countries with Israel’s establishment in 1948.

“Israel took in these refugees and integrated them into our society,” he tells the international body, at the event marking the anniversary of the November 29, 1947, UN vote on the partition plan. “The international community on the other hand ignored them and built corrupt institutions that only serve so-called Palestinian refugees.

“In order to right the historical injustice that was done to the Jewish refugees of this conflict, I will propose a resolution to the Assembly that will acknowledge the wrong done to the ‘forgotten’ Jewish refugees and will make right the injustice that they suffered.”

He accuses the international community of favoring the Palestinian narrative and ignoring Jewish suffering.

“There were an estimated 850,000 Jews who were forced out of Arab countries and Iran and became refugees in the 20th century. These Jews were subject to brutal attacks and harassment and were forced to flee leaving everything behind: in Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Iran, and many other countries. And still, we don’t hear the international community speak of them when they discuss the refugees of the conflict, perhaps because it doesn’t serve the Palestinian narrative,” says Danon.