Speech #1100148559

Not one Jew from the Arab world has been compensated for his losses. Each one had to start over from scratch in his new land. Compare the Jewish refugee experience with the Palestinian refugee experience. Neither Jewish refugees themselves. nor Israel. which was an underdeveloped country at the time it hosted most of these refugees. sought international aid from United Nations organizations or other international organizations. Both refugees and hosts envisioned and sought full integration into the larger society. The Arab world. in contrast. demanded the international community foot the bill for the refugees. who were to be kept in camps that. to this day. breed frustration. hatred and dependence. The result of these contrasting approaches is this: While the plight of Palestinian refugees is well known throughout the world. has been the subject of numerous U.N. resolutions. and has been a major element in every ArabIsraeli peace plan. the plight of Jewish refugees is rarely mentioned. Nevertheless. the rights and redress of Jewish refugees deserve recognition in any peace settlement. And. indeed. numerous international agreements pertaining to the ArabIsraeli conflict have been codified with the rights of Jewish refugees in mind. U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 calls for a "just settlement to the refugee problem." without limiting that problem to Palestinians. Presidents Carter and Clinton each explicitly stated that the issue of Jewish refugees must be part of any comprehensive ArabIsraeli peace agreement. And lest there be any doubt about their status. let me point out this very important fact: The United Nations High Commission on Refugees in 1957 mandated that Jewish people who fled Arab countries are. indeed. "refugees." The right of Jewish refugees from Middle Eastern lands to seek redress does not in any way conflict with the right of Palestinian refugees to seek redress. and the resolution before us states this explicitly. This resolution merely expresses the sense of Congress that Jewish refugees also should not be denied their legitimate rights. We are simply seeking to ensure that any comprehensive Middle East settlement is just and fully just to all the parties. That sentiment of basic fairness is one I fully embrace.