UN hosts conference on Jewish refugees

After an Arab demand to call off the event was rejected, the Arab League asked the UN Secretariat for permission to hand out press releases at the entrance to the Israeli event , but that request was turned down as well.

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Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon at UN (Photo: Shahar Azran)

"We are 64 years late, but it's never too late to bring justice and discuss the historic facts," he added.

'Set the record straight'

Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, said: “Israel’s detractors have spent decades infusing the courts of international public opinion with a one-sided history of the Middle East refugee problem. This will not bring justice or closure to this painful conflict.

"It is now time to set the historical, diplomatic, and legal record straight. Lasting peace can only be built on historical facts - both the issues of the Jewish refugees and the Palestinian refugees must be addressed.”

“It is time for the international community to recognize that with the birth of the Jewish state in 1948, Jews in Arab countries were persecuted, assaulted and forcibly exiled from their homes, personal and communal property confiscated and stolen.

"The world has long recognized the Palestinian refugee problem. After 60 years, the United Nations should finally recognize the 850,000 Jewish refugees who suffered during those times.

"The World Jewish Congress calls upon the Secretary General of the United Nations and all world leaders to acknowledge the truth, and place the plight of the Jewish refugees of Arab countries on the agenda together with the rights of all the refugees. Only addressing the historical facts can help bring about peace," said Lauder.

Other participants include Law Professors Irwin Cotler and Alan Dershowitz, who discussed the legal rights of Jews who escaped from Arab countries.