| Sunday, May 15, 2011 |
| DFM Ayalon Calls for Greater Recognition of the Real Nakba |
| DFM Ayalon Calls for Greater Recognition of the Real 'Nakba' Press Release (Communicated by the Bureau of Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon) DFM Ayalon Calls for Greater Recognition of the Real 'Nakba' Today (Sunday, 15th May 2011), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon called for greater recognition of the history of Jewish refugees from Arab lands. "Today, as the Palestinians and their supporters commemorate their so-called 'Nakba', it is imperative that the catastrophe that befell the Jews from Arab lands be remembered and recognized," Ayalon said. "While the Arabs in 1948 were involved in hostilities against the Jews, the Jews of the Middle East and North Africa were not present in a theater of war, yet overnight their citizenship was revoked, their assets stolen and they were expelled or forced to flee." "There is also a massive disparity in numbers, while the Arabs refugees numbered just over half a million, the Jewish refugees numbered over 900,000 and because they were urban and wealthy, their assets accounted for almost double those of the more rural Arabs." Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon is also spearheading the issue of Arab refugees and is making this a central issue within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "In any future agreement with the Palestinians, the issue of the Jewish refugees should be recognized and those who fled, and their descendants, ought to receive redress," Ayalon said. "This issue has been recognized by United Nations resolutions, peace agreements with our neighbors, in the U.S. Congress and the Knesset. The Palestinian refugee narrative has been allowed to stand uncontested, too few people know about the real 'Nakba', that saw the dispossession of almost a million Jews, and it is about time for this to change." Ayalon has written several publications on this issue in the local and foreign media. Next Monday, 23rd May at 12:30, the Deputy Foreign Minister will be speaking at a briefing on the issue of the Jewish refugees from Arab countries with JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and Northern Africa) at MediaCentral in Jerusalem. You can follow the Deputy Foreign Minister on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube Mr. Ashley Perry Media Advisor Deputy Foreign Minister's Office Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs +972 (0) 50 620 3197 ashley.perry@mfa.gov.il http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=52380 ____________________________ See more on Nakba Day/May 15, 2011: LIFE in Israel in 1948 – Part 1Three-Pronged Provocation Against Israel on Nakba (Catastrophe) DayRioters in Qalandiya Use Ambulance for Cover While Hurling Rocks |
