(BRUSSELS) "We lost everything we had, we could not even take our family photos," declared Edwin Shuker, a displaced Jewish refugee from Iraq at the first-ever hearing in the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium on July 1, 2008.

The hearing in the European Parliament was organized by Paulo Casaca, MEP (Member of the European Parliament), with the European Friends of Israel and B'nai B'rith in association with Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC), the international coalition of organizations that are seeking justice for the up to one million Jews displaced from Arab countries. Among the other speakers were Moise Rahmani from Belgium (born in Cairo) and Prof. Carole Basri of the USA (family from Baghdad).

Casaca defended the cause of all ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East. He indicated that he deplored the fact that the rights of Jewish and Christian refugees today are virtually unrecognized by Europeans. Prof. Basri, an attorney who teaches law at the University of Pennsylvania, said that the criteria for ethnic cleansing is one that can honestly be used to describe the political measures that were put in place, to displace the Jewish population in Arab countries that never represented a military threat. Prof. Basri outlined the legal and historical arguments supporting the case to recognize the Jews of Arab countries as bona fide refugees under international law and called for 'Truth and Reconciliation' hearings on the subject.

Moise Rahmani introduced the background to the displacement of Jews from their ancestral birthplace as detailed in his book L'exode Oublie.

Testifying at the hearing in the European Parliament were:
Moise Rahmani (Belgium), Edwin Shuker (UK) and Carole Basri (USA)

Shuker, a UK resident and President of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, gave a detailed account of the "black period" that his family suffered through in Iraq under the nationalist Baathist regime. He said, "Two refugee populations emerged from the Arab-Israeli conflict, both suffered, both were victims and justice requires equal consideration and redress." "In passing Resolution 185 the US congress recognized this and we appeal to the European Parliament to deliver a similar message," he added.

The European Parliament is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU). Together with the Council of the European Union, it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world.

Justice for Jews from Arab Countries is an international coalition of major Jewish communal organizations operating to ensure that justice for Jews from Arab countries assumes its rightful place on the international political agenda and that their rights be secured as a matter of law and equity.

(LONDON) June 25, 2008 - In his appearance before an overflow gathering at the House of Lords, Canadian MP Irwin Cotler declared that: "Had the UN Partition Resolution been accepted sixty years ago, there would have been no Arab-Israeli war - no refugees, Jewish or Arab. – and none of the pain and suffering of these last sixty years. Indeed, we would have been celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of both the State of Israel and the State of Palestine."

Cotler continued: "Yet the pain and plight of 850,000 Jews uprooted and displaced from Arab countries – not only a forgotten, but a forced exodus, – has been expunged and eclipsed from both the Middle East peace and justice narratives these past sixty years."

The meeting was organized by Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC) in association with the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

Parliamentarians in attendance:

-Lord Anderson of Swansea (Labour Peer)
-Lord Hylton (Crossbench Peer)
-Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Welsh Liberal Democrat Peer)
-Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Member of the Scottish Parliament)
-Lord Stone of Blackheath (Labour Peer)
-Baroness Whitaker (Labour Peer)

-Lousie Ellman (Member of Parliament)
-John Mann (Member of Parliament)
-Richard Spring (Member of Parliament)
-Bob Spink (Member of Parliament)

Listening intently to the presentation was
Member of Parliament Louise Ellman (seated third from left)

Cotler submitted evidence from a report entitled Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries: The Case for Rights And Redress, which documented for the first time a pattern of state-sanctioned repression and persecution in Arab countries - including Nuremberg-like laws - that targeted its Jewish populations, resulting in denationalization, forced expulsions, illegal sequestration of property, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and murder. He concluded this part of his testimony by stating that: "This is a story that has not been heard. It is a story that has not yet even been told. It is a truth that must now be acknowledged."

Professor Cotler then set forth a nine-point action plan for human rights and refugee rights – and a just and lasting peace in the middle-East – which included:

• First, it must be appreciated that while justice has long been delayed, it must no longer be denied. The time has come to rectify this historical injustice, and to restore the plight and truth of the 'forgotten exodus' of Jews from Arab countries to the Middle East narrative from which they have been expunged and eclipsed these 60 years.

• Second, remedies for victim refugee groups - including rights of remembrance, truth, justice and redress - as mandated under human rights and humanitarian law - must now be invoked for Jews displaced from Arab countries.

• Third, in the manner of duties and responsibilities, each of the Arab countries - and the League of Arab States - must acknowledge their role and responsibility in their double aggression of launching an aggressive war against Israel and the perpetration of human rights violations against their respective Jewish nationals. The culture of impunity must end.

• Fourth, the Arab League Peace Plan of 2002 should incorporate the question of Jewish refugees from Arab countries as part of its narrative for an Israeli-Arab peace, just as the Israeli narrative now incorporates the issue of Palestinian refugees in its vision of an Israeli-Arab peace.

• Fifth, on the international level, the U.N. General Assembly - in the interests of justice and equity - should include reference to Jewish refugees as well as Palestinian refugees in its annual resolutions; the U.N. Human Rights Council should address, as it has yet to do, the issue of Jewish as well as Palestinian refugees; U.N. agencies dealing with compensatory efforts for Palestinian refugees should also address Jewish refugees form Arab countries.

• Sixth, the annual Nov. 29th commemoration by the United Nations of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People should be transformed into an International Day of Solidarity for a Two-State Solution - as the initial 1947 Partition Resolution intended - including solidarity with all refugees created by the Israeli-Arab conflict.

• Seventh, jurisdiction over Palestinian refugees should be transferred from UNWRA to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. There was no justification then - and still less today - for the establishment of a separate body to deal only with Palestinian refugees, particularly when that body is itself compromised by its incitement to hatred and violence, as well as its revisionist teaching of the mid-East peace and justice narrative.

• Eighth, any bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations - which one hopes will presage a just and lasting peace - should include Jewish refugees as well as Palestinian refugees in an inclusive joiner of discussion.

• Ninth, during any and all discussions on the Middle East by the Quartet and others, any explicit reference to Palestinian refugees should be paralleled by a reference to Jewish refugees from Arab countries.

Cotler called on the UK Government to use its voice, vote, and participation in matters relating to issues of mid-East refugees to ensure that any reference to Palestinian refugees is accompanied by a similarly explicit reference to Jewish refugees from Arab countries.

Prof. Irwin Cotler, honorary chair of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, speaking to members
of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Seated is David Matas, honorary legal council
of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, who chaired the event.

"Simply put," Cotler concluded, "the exclusion and denial of rights and redress to Jewish refugees from Arab and countries will prejudice authentic negotiations between the parties and undermine the justice and legitimacy of any agreement. Let there be no mistake about it. Where there is no remembrance, there is no truth; where there is no truth, there will be no justice; where there is no justice, there will be no reconciliation; and where there is no reconciliation, there will be no peace –which we all seek."

Click Here for Full Testimony by Prof. Irwin Cotler, MP

Click Here for Full Testimony by David Matas

Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC) held its its Founding Congress on June 23-25, 2008 in London, England. Some fifty delegates from 10 countries convened to constitute Justice for Jews from Arab Countries as an independent, non-profit organization and to establish the structures to govern JJAC's operations. (Click here for a list of organizations that participated)

The Congress elected a Board of Directors, including: Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie (USA), Elise Abadie (USA), Sylvain Abitbol (Canada), Jean-Pierre Allali (France), Lili Amior (UK), Sydney Assor UK, Shlomo Bakhash (USA) Prof. Carole Basri (USA), Dr. David Bensoussan (Canada), Serge Cattan (Belgium), Gladys Daoud (Canada), Anders Engstrom (Sweden), Elias Fatal (UK), Emile Fattal (Canada), Eric Fusfield (USA), Prof. Henry Green (USA), Nessim Hamaoui (Brazil), Annie Hodara (Switzerland), Paul Hodara (Switzerland), Lyn Julius (UK), Raphael Luzon (UK), David Matas (Canada), Linda Menuhin (Israel), Prof. Shmuel Moreh (Israel), Moise Rahmani (Belgium), Joël Rubenfeld (Belgium), Maurice Shohet (USA), Edwin Shuker (UK), Regina Waldman (USA).

Also elected were the Officers who comprise the Executive Committee. Elected for a one year term of office were: Edwin Shuker, President; Serge Cattan, Chairman of the Board; Regina Waldman, Vice-President; Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, Vice-President; Jean-Pierre Allali, Vice-President; Sylvain Abitbol, Treasurer; Nessim Hamoui, Secretary.

Featured speakers included:

• Renowned historian Sir Martin Gilbert, CBE, D.Litt. opened the Congress at the Montefiore Hall with the lecture, "Historical Narrative and the UK’s Response to Middle East Refugees."

• The Honorable Irwin Cotler, PC, OC, MP, former Canadian Minister of Justice, delivered a stirring address to delegates who attended a briefing in the British House of Lords; and

• Mordechai Ben Porat, who directed Operation Ezra and Nechemia, told his personal account of the role he played in the liberation, and mass exodus, of over 130,000 Jews from Iraq who were resettled in Israel.

As part of the proceedings, delegates were briefed on JJAC activities and accomplishments worlwide; debated at length issues of JJAC’s mandate; operations in Israel; external relations with other organizations; adopted a set of by-laws; and discussed fundraising opportunities.

Meetings were held in the offices of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and at the Sephardic Center at the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors has been tentatively scheduled for November 2008 in Israel.

Flo Kaufmann, Vice President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews &
Chairperson of the European Jewish Congress Board of Governors, introducing Sir Martin Gilbert

Sir Martin Gilbert speaking with Prof. Henry Green (USA) of University of Miami

Henry Grunwald QC (standing on far right), President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, addressing the JJAC Congress opening plenary. Listening intently are (L to R), Stan Urman (Exec. Vice-President of JJAC), Serge Cattan (Belgium), Jon Benjamin, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (standing), Elias Fattal (UK), Amb. Yossi Ben-Aharon (Israel) and Regina Waldman (USA)

One of several working meetings

Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie of NYC who chaired JJAC's Nomination Committee,
presenting his report to the JJAC Congress Plenary

Media Coverage of the Hearing

More photos from the London Congress

For decades, the United Nations has ignored the plight of Jewish refugees from Arab countries. Now they are no longer be able to do so. On March 18, 2008, for the first time ever, appearing in Geneva at the United Nations Human Rights Council, was a Jewish refugee from an Arab country, Regina Bublil-Waldman, who fled Libya in 1967, in fear of her life.

Also appearing was Sylvain Abitbol, Co-President of the Canadian Jewish Congress who is originally from Morocco and Stanley A. Urman, Exec. Vice-President of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries.

Celebrating her heritage, Mrs. Bublil-Waldman appeared wearing her grandmother's Libyan wedding dress. At the same time, she was 'mourning'the loss of her heritage, as in 1948, there were 36,000 Jews living in Libya. Today, there are none left. Ms. Bublil-Waldman ultimately resettled in the United States where she founded JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa).

Click here to watch Regina Waldman's testimony

Mr. Abitbol brought a message of hoped-for peace and reconciliation. He recalled that King Muhammad V intervened to protect Jews living in Morocco from the Nazi regime. While recognizing the historical plight faced by Jews who lived for millennia in Arab countries, Mr. Abitbol expressed the hope that these displaced Jews can serve as an important bridge to the Arab world, much as he does now in his business and community life.

A Report entitled "Justice for Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries: The Case for Rights and Redress"was presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Published by Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, the Report contains documents - recently discovered in the U.N. archives - that reveal a pattern of state-sanctioned oppression that precipitated the mass exodus of Jews from 10 Arab countries.

"The Report discloses the manner in which the U.N. excluded Jewish refugees from Arab countries from the justice and peace agenda" said Stanley Urman, Exec. Vice-President of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries. "This is not just a case of justice delayed, but justice denied."

Read the Report: The Case for Rights and Redress

Visit the UN Watch Website