Frank Pallone: “as Israel and Palestine take steps towards peace and as President Bush and the State Department released the road map…”

“as Israel and Palestine take steps towards peace and as President Bush and the State Department released the road map for peace in the Middle East, I would like to draw attention to an important issue in the peace process. The issue of refugees is widely regarded as one of the most contentious aspects of the Arab-Israeli dispute. However, up until now the debate has focused primarily on the plight of Palestinian refugees and the question of the right of return. Mr. Speaker, it is critical that future peace negotiations and discussions, specifically on the rights of refugees, address both sides of the issue, both Arab and Jewish. Many people do not realize that during the years following the establishment of the State of Israel, more Jews than Arabs became refugees. It is estimated that over 900,000 Jews were stripped of their property and expelled from Arab nations. Approximately 600,000 refugees were absorbed and assimilated by Israel, and the remaining 300,000 fled to other nations, including the United States and Canada. At a time, Mr. Speaker, when Jews face severe persecution, economic deprivation, discrimination, and expulsion from Arab lands, Jews turn to Israel as a place to begin their lives anew. Israel opened her arms and welcomed the refugees, granting Arab Jews citizenship and welcoming them into Israeli society. Jews in Arab nations were forced to forfeit the lives they had worked so hard to achieve, to abandon their homes and livelihoods.”