On the eve of the US-convened Middle East peace conference planned for November, two representatives of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries have criticised the Israeli government for not raising the issue of the Jewish refugees.
Jean-Pierre Allali of the French-Jewish institution CRIF and the French representative of JJAC (Justice for Jews from Arab Countries), and Yossi Ben-Aharon, who is on the board of JJAC's umbrella body WOJAC, deplored the fact that Israeli government officials have not made any mention of the Jewish refugee issue.
In an interview with Guysen News on 7 October, Mr Allali said," The Israeli government position fluctuates on this issue.
"At each of our meetings - in London, Jerusalem or Paris - the representatives of the Justice, Interior and Foreign ministries showed the keenest interest in what we were doing. But when it comes to serious negotiations, it seems that the Israeli negotiators are afraid of putting the issue on the table in case they frighten off or irritate the other party."
Last October, the then Minister of Justice, Meir Sheetrit, gave his support to the JJAC campaign. " It's not about getting restitution, but to counteract Palestinian propaganda on the burning issue of the refugees by putting forward a different narrative."
In a Jerusalem Post article on 8 October Yossi Ben-Aharon quoted Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in a recent Knesset statement: "Clearly, a Palestinian state is the sole, complete solution for Palestinians everywhere, the integral national solution to the refugee problem."
"Unfortunately, " Mr Ben-Aharon wrote, "she made no mention of the Jewish refugees from Arab countries."
Ms Livni had "missed an opportunity to draw the attention of the international community to the fact there were two refugee crises and both should be resolved."
Jean-Pierre Allali told Guysen News: " the issue of the Jewish refugees from Arab countries is the only card we can play against the claims of the Palestinians. And even if the Israelis want to ignore the issue they could never escape it, because the Arab side will never it give up.
"We could forget the issue if the Palestinians decide to take it off the agenda. As long as the Arabs insist on including it, Israel will have no choice but to remind them that during the same period, there were Jewish refugees who fled Arab countries."
When asked if the two negotiating cards were of equal value, Mr Allali said that financially there was no comparison. The Jews left untold fortunes behind, although restitution was not the object of the JJAC campaign.
this conference, call it a "peace" conference if you like, is --to describe it most mildly-- untimely.
ReplyDeleteThe Arabs of both Fatah and Hamas are not ready for peace with Israel, and are not capable of living at peace with Israel --whatever agreement might be reached at a conference.
On the Israeli side, we have never had such an incompetent and crooked govt. So the evasion of bringing up the issue of the Jewish refugees from Arab countries does not surprise me. Olmert's crookedness is notorious here in Israel. The chief auditor of the Treasury Minstry, Mr Zelekha, restated today on the radio his conviction of Olmert's having committed crimes when minister of that ministry. There are several other charges against olmert now being investigated. Two charges are now officially subject to criminal investigations. See link:
http://ziontruth.blogspot.com/2007/09/olmert-under-second-criminal.html
The obvious question is how can olmert legitimately represent Israel in any international negotiations.
Yet none of this seems to matter to condi rice [Signorina Riso Amaro]. She proceeds with her sinister garden party without a thought, it seems, to the legitimacy of the present Israeli government and prime minister. It seems to me here in Israel that the media in Western countries are totally ignoring olmert's low status in Israeli public opinion and his status as a suspected felon. If I'm wrong about Western press coverage of olmert's peccadilloes, please let me know.
Eliyahu
ReplyDeleteEverything you write about the crooked Olmert is true, and the Conference is most probably doomed to failure. But it is not the first time than ANY Israeli government in recent years has hesitated to even MENTION the Jewish refugees. Is it because the Foreign ministry has got stuck in the groove of Osloid pragmatism where Israel only talks concessions-based diplomacy and not rights, or is there some other reason?