“The State of Israel must voice support for Jewish refugees and correct this historical injustice,” said Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon.
By United with Israel Staff
Israel’s Mission to the United Nations is leading a diplomatic campaign to recognize the more than 850,000 Jewish refugees expelled from Arab countries after the establishment of the State of Israel, according to a Mission press release.
As part of the effort, the Mission, in an effort to put the issue on the agenda of the international community, will hold a unique event with Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa (JIMENA) at UN headquarters in New York.
The event will take place the day after the General Assembly marks the anniversary of November 29th, 1947, the date the United Nations voted for UN Resolution 181, which sought to partition Mandatory Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. The day is being commemorated this year on December 3rd due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Each year, the Palestinian delegation tries to focus UN attention on “Palestinian refugees” and calls for support for the “right of return,” which, if implemented, would grant five million Arabs the right to “return” to the Land of Israel.
Israel is working to focus on the Jewish dimension of the refugee issue.
Among the keynote speakers at the Israeli Mission’s event will be Sarah Idan, who was elected Miss Iraq in 2017. After being photographed with Miss Israel, Idan was forced to flee Iraq and then emigrated to the United States. She has since become an avid spokeswoman for Israel who spares no criticism of her homeland.
Idan condemned Hamas’ terrorist activities and systematic human rights violations in Iraq. In light of her statements, she was stripped of her Iraqi citizenship.
Elan Carr, the Trump administration’s Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism, will also speak at the event. He will likely share the story of his mother, who was forced to flee Iraq.
“The story of nearly a million Jews who were brutally expelled from their homes has so far received no UN attention and has even been deliberately downplayed to focus solely on the Palestinian narrative. The State of Israel must voice support for Jewish refugees and correct this historical injustice,” stated Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon.
“As we enter the fifth year of Jewish Refugee Commemoration Day, there is a growing urgency to center and elevate the voices of Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews, whose collective experiences and perspectives provide an important lens to approach contemporary issues of antisemitism, minority rights in the Middle East, and efforts to delegitimize Israel,” said Sarah Levin, executive director of JIMENA.
