Compensation
for Jews from Arab countries
1
February 2001
I
read with pleasure the latest issue of "The Scribe"
and I want to congratulate you on both the design and the
packaging.
I
do want to call your attention, Naim, to the matter of compensation
for property. Before I resigned as Co-Chairman of WOJAC,
I approved the decision that was published and sent to the
Foreign Ministry of Israel. If a situation should arise,
wherein the State of Israel should agree to balance the
claims of Jews from Arab countries against the claims of
the Palestinians for properties left in Israel, then it
is clear that compensation is due to Jews from the Arab
countries, and that this compensation will be the burden
on the budget of the State of Israel.
A
second issue is that it is not true WOJAC is only interested
demanding the rights of Israeli citizens. The opposite is
true. WOJAC is concerned with all the people who have left
property in the Arab countries, whether they are in Israel
or in other countries.
Another
thing is that it is most important not to create confrontations
between the Jews from Arab countries and the Palestinians.
The solution that I have proposed for the last ten years
is that there should be an international fund that would
compensate all those who have legitimate claims, whether
they be Palestinians or Jews from Arab countries. The suggestions
of former President of the U.S., Mr Clinton, is a wise one
that would answer this need. That is, that eight wealthy
countries, and in this I include the wealthy Arab countries
and the State of Israel, would create a fund for this purpose.
I
enclose a research paper by ITAMAR LEVIN concerning Jewish
properties in Arab countries.
Chairman
of the Centre
Mordechai
Ben-Porat
Scribe:
According
to the research paper by Itamar Levin mentioned in the above
letter, the top estimate of Jewish assets left behind in
Iraq amounts to $4 billion in today’s value.
The
policy of the Israeli government ever since 1951 concerning
the Jewish assets left behind in Iraq is stated in Foreign
Minister Moshe Sharett declaration at the Knesset on 19
March 1951 vis: "The government of Israel notifies
the appropriate UN institutions, that we will reckon the
value of Jewish property frozen in Iraq in making the account
of the compensation we have undertaken to pay Arabs who
have abandoned property in Israel."
The
Jewish community of Iraq as a whole have also a right to
claim a share of the wealth of the country they were forced
to leave.
Naim
Dangoor’s reply to Mr Ben-Porat:
Thank
you for your letter explaining the position of WOJAC, which
we shall include in The Scribe.
The
question remains that if Jews from Arab countries are entitled
to compensation from funds personally held by Israel, why
do they have to wait until the whole generation is dead?
If
you would like to make any comments or contribute to The
Scribe please contact
us.
