(McClatchy) Ben Barber - U.S.-brokered Middle East peace talks have suddenly focused on the long-ignored escape of more than 700,000 Jewish refugees from North Africa and the Middle East to safety in Israel since 1948. While the 700,000 Palestinian refugees who left Israel since 1948 have been cared for by UN programs from Gaza to Damascus, the Jewish refugees from Arab lands have never won UN support or obtained restitution of their properties left behind. A senior U.S. State Department official told Jewish leaders in January that the draft peace "framework" would include compensation for the Jews who fled Arab lands, the New York Times reported. These Jewish communities had been deeply rooted for centuries: in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Iraq; they predated the rise of Islam in the 7th century.
2014-02-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive