Knesset member Dr. Anat Berko sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, demanding that the Iraqi-Jewish archives not be returned to Iraq.
The move comes after the US State Department had confirmed that the Iraqi-Jewish archives would go back to Iraq about a year from now. In 2003, the National Archives and Records administration had signed an agreement with the CPA, then Iraq's government, promising that the waterlogged trove, seized from Jewish individuals and institutions and found in the basement of the Iraqi secret police headquarters, would go back to Iraq after restoration.
In her letter, MK Berko, who is playing an active part campaigning for Jewish refugees from Arab countries, describes how her parents had to escape from Iraq as refugees, after they were stripped of their Iraqi citizenship and left destitute. She asks Netanyahu to put pressure on the American authorities to revoke their promise to return the Archives to Iraq.
She demands that the archives be returned where they belong, to the Babylonian Museum in Israel. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Ministry of Education and to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Have you signed the petition yet?
Berko to Greenblatt: give us compensation
As regards the petition, would it be worth asking people to write individual letters as well? Could you suggest talking points that people should write about?
ReplyDeleteA good idea. Talking points here
ReplyDeletehttp://iraqijewisharchives.org/talking-points/
Talking points are a good idea and who we should address our letters to. I'm wondering why the White House.gov petition site wasn't used? The rules stipulate that within 3 months the petition must have 100,000 signatures but the positive is that a response is guaranteed. With Tillerson, McMaster and Mattis their animus is so flagrant that it is inappropriate to describe them as biased. They are truly anti-Semetic. I saw a wonderful article on this issue written by Daniel Greenfield @ frontpagemag in early Sept. and another one @frontpagemag by Caroline Glick. They received a significant response from commenters. This issue literally makes me feel sick inside. Please contact me if there is anything I can do to assist. Your blog is a treasure. Thank-you for all your hard work.
ReplyDeleteNancyB
I think it is a tall order to get 100,000 signatories! Thanks for your offer of help.
ReplyDeleteIf it goes to Israel will ownership then be transferred to individuals concerned?
ReplyDelete