The foreign ministry has woken up to the best way to counter the nonsense of the Arab 'refugees"! Now, the first thing is to try to value the losses of the Jewish refugees. I suspect they will be considerably greater than the Arab losses. Who do you think will refund us the difference?

I have spoken about this rathger constantly since I knew many people who lived in Middle Eastern Arab nations and were forced to leave. Today, about half of Israel's Jewish population comes from those people, many of whom had lived in those nations which expelled them for centuries. And the UN considers as an Arab refugee anyone who lived in Israel 2 years prior to the creation of the state as well as their offspring. Let's indeed have the rights of the Jewish refugees recognized. It's about time.

About time! Of course fictitious 'palestinians' their fellow arabs and the international movement of liars and charlatans who support them will try to brush the issue of Jewish refugees from arab lands under the carpet. Good to see the Israeli government taking the PR initiative! It's time to reveal what really happened in the middle east without anti-semitic propoganda distorting the picture.

we will not make a good comparison because we are all resettled and are not dependent on any UN refugee assistance and we never asked for it at all - no one will believe what we went through because we never really used our situation as a political ploy. The Arab dictators on the other hand, used the Palestinian refugees as a distraction to enable them to oppress their own people.

Too much conversations ... Do you REALLY want peace or not? That's all. If palestinians want refugees to go to Israel means that they DON'T want peace, it's very easy and simple.

according to Palis.. a "refugee" is someone or a decendent of someone who was (so they say) in Israel for only two years prior to '48... they need not even own land or be able to prove they were there.... Comepare that to a million Jews who were land and business OWNERS in Arab lands and can PROVE IT!!! This article is very weak on facts and particularly naive on reality.

The issue of Jewish refugees is not preventing peace. The issue of Palestinian refugees IS preventing peace. It's possible that Israel would agree to take in some Palestinian refugees or none as part of a peace process. But one way or another there is no closure without Israel and the Palestinians or the international community deciding what to do with the refugees. There is no peace agreement that doesn't leave a Jewish Israel. That should be very clear to all.

The fault is Jews who whine about the Arab rights and ignore the Jews. The worst criminals are in the Israeli government. Imagine if Netanyahu, instead of begging Abbas to talk refused to talk until the issue of Jewish refugees was on the table? But the Israeli leaders have other concerns, certainly not Jewish lives and rights.

I suggest to ask Turkey to compensate the Jews who's properties and wealth were confiscated from them during the 1941 wealth tax (Varlik Vergisi) to be compensated with interest.

do not care for Jews much less Jewish refugees. What Jew would want the right of return to an arab land. compensation yes.

Who finally put this issue in it's proper place....in the spotlight! This issue about the 'Arab refugee has a simple solution....about 550/600000 Arab refugees against ca. 850000 Jewish refugees means.....Arab countries must pay compansation for about 250000 Jewish refugees and the problem is solved. UNWRA can be dissolved and it's workers can start to find a real job. EUS taxpayers money can be spend on important things and not be wasted on the 'eternal Arab refugee, calling himself Palestinian.

Preventing peace are Arabs, who refuse to see Israel as a homeland for us, Jews. And why dismiss compensation for Jews from Arab coutries. Does it have anything to do with the fact that you, personally, will get nada? I thik it has. This has nothing to do with refugees. If Israel, with much less resources, could make home and settle Jewish refugees, what not Arabs? What makes them different? And according to the UN, they are: only an Arab can inherit the status of "refugee". Why is that? Get seriuos, you say? I'm all for it, Sam. Let's get serious here. If you think those people are indeed refuges, then let the Arabs handle them. Make it clear that the places they left back in 1948 are lost. It was never their country, and will never be.

The Jews who immigrated to Israel from Arab countries are ethnic Arabs. They should be allowed to leave Israel and go back to live with their Muslim and Christian brothers.

Mr. Calic, would you mind sending this article out to all the papers you can? it is time for some perspective on this issue.

It is only right that Jewish values be diferentiated early in this process. The perspective from many people in the world is that Jews and Arabs, who in some limited respects share a common background, therefore share common values. A clear distinction must be made on the polar distinction between Arab and Islamist views of the value of life and that held by the Jews. That the Arab & Islamist world would treat any refugee with human dignity is not likely to occur. After all these are the people who shield rocket launchers with civilian lives, daily, everyday, every minute. These are people who raise, brainwash, and train human bomber who attack their own people, hardly limited to Israel, they do this worldwide, daily, everyday. The world should understand that the fundamentally Jewish held value of life separates us enormously from those who hate us.

In the past Muslim's and Hindus could not get along together and separated between India and Pakistan. Millions of people had to migrate during the population exchange. Greeks and Turks also made several population exchanges around WW I. There are more examples in history when population exchanges brought peace to nations who - unfortunately - could not get along living together. Just consider this a population exchange, mutually respect each others right to live in their own countries - Israel for Jews and a Palestinian state in Gaza and WB - and make peace.

The article begins with the words, "This month a meeting took place with little fanfare..." Why so little fanfare? Why not give it the publicity it requires. This is an issue that has been shoved aside for too long. The time to let people in Europe and the U.S. know about it is long overdue. Not that they will give a damn but nevertheless we should try.

I think the time is right for this bit of history to come to the forefront. I perceive that interested parties, on the left and the right, are suffering from propaganda fatigue. We have heard for decades about the plight of the “poor Palestinians…” when the truth is that they could have been very easily absorbed into any of the numerous Arab nations. It is also true that the Pals have been so totally corrupted and abused by their Arab brothers that they are unwelcome practically everywhere. Perhaps this small dose of truth will begin to erode the foundations of the anti-Israel propaganda machine enough bring it crashing down. IT’S ABOUT TIME!

Jewish refugees (many of them escaping holocaust others from Arab countries such as Iraq, Yemen etc. ) came to Palestine - the land where they were originated and existed for many centuries and re purchased during the Ottoman rule - to build a prosperous state that today we know as Israel. They did not wait for others, they shaped their own destiny. Wealthy Jews from Europe and around the world also invested to this creation. On the other hand oil rich Arab states, instead of helping their brethren to create a peaceful prosperous state in WB and Gaza they used the Arab refugees as a tool to destroy Israel. They attacked Israel several times and lost more each time. There is only one peaceful solution: Two states for two people.

The refugee issue is no less important to the Palestinians than being a Jewish country is to Israel. You have to see the world as it is not as you want it to be.

The Arabs with their propaganda campaign are playing you like a violin. Refugees? After 64 years? Give me a break. Every other refugee situation, for example WW2 refugees in Europe, was resolved in a short time. The Arabs cynically keep this wound open consciously to stimulate guilt around the world and the gullible world refuses to see their transparent agenda.

Xango, Thank you for your suggestion. Generally pieces such as this are reposted on other web sites if the site owner deems them worthwhile. Please feel free to forward it to as many other sites as you choose. The owner of a site which reposts should reference the source- Ynet. Thanks again. ~ Dan

What a silly idea. Firstly,they'd have to be incredibly perverse to leave a country where they are free,equal citizens and go and live where they'd be discriminated against and treated as second class subjects. Secondly,the Arab and North African countries that got rid of their Jews show no signs of wanting them back.To put it bluntly,they DON'T want them back. So I suggest to Avi that he gets real. THREE CHEERS FOR ISRAEL!!!

You have to see the world as it is not as you want it to be. Most Pal refugees have no interest in seeing a peaceful and equitable solution to the situation otherwise they would have pushed their leaders -- autocratic and fascistic though they may be--to a peace deal. Sadly, they want total destruction of Jewish Israel and they want no compromise. If they were ready to compromise in 1917, 1923, 1937, 1947, 1948, 1967, 1979 or 2000 or any other significant points where the 2 state solution was discussed, we would have had peace long, long ago. Why did Arafat walk away from Bill Clinton's offer? Why did the Pals walk away from Sharon's Gaza offer and immediately go back to terrorism? Sam--or is it really Samir? See the world for what it is.

OK firstly, The term "Arab" is a political term. Technically nobody is an Arab except the people living in Saudi Arabia. Even among the arab world, some don't consider themselves as arabs like the Kurds. Second, Mizrahi Jews (arabs as you call them) have no future in arab land because as long as Israel exists, every Jew in arab land will be seen as enemy. Third, Mizrahi Jews were 70% of Israeli Jews until 1990. Today they are about 50-55%. They have built Israel and shaped the culture of Israel. While ashkenazi jews have occupied most of the top positions, Mizrahi Jews have worked hard and contributed to the Jewish state without getting little or no credit. We have lived in the land where Torah, Talmud was written for 4000 years. We have lived in the land where Abraham came from. We have lived in the land where Ezra and Ezekiel once lived. We have always had Jewish presence in Jerusalem even after the fall of second temple 2000 years ago. Its our neighborhood and we will certainly stay in Israel. -Shalom

When the very many Iraqi Jews were forced out in the early 1950s,the Iraqi government of the day expropriated ALL of their very considerable assets leaving them penniless refugees.This despite the previous promise that they would be able to leave with their assets. The Iraqi government did give an explanation for their atrocious looting.The reason given was that the expelled Iraqi Jews' assets would be used to compensate and resettle the Palestine Arab displaced persons. Did that happen?Of course not!The assets all went into providing 'jobs' for the regimes' friends or simply disappeared into the pockets of a few who enriched themselves,massively. It seems to me that if the Arab League can persist in the spurious claim that Israel is responsible for Arab displaced persons after 64 years,the present Iraqi government should face up to ITS historic responsibility as well. THREE CHEERS FOR ISRAEL!!!

In the last poll I saw 35% of Palestinians are ready to live next to a Jewish Israel. The rest only want Muslim states. The way Palestinians want to overcome Israel is through a flood of refugees to Israel proper. We'll know Palestinians want peace when they agree to settle the refugee issue satisfactory to Israel. Arguing the other core issues first makes no sense if the Palestinians always demand a right of return in the end. The only way to know if the Palestinians and other Arabs accept a Jewish Israel is to settle the refugee issue. That doesn't mean Israel has to necessarily accept any refugees. It means the issue has to be settled.

Jews and Arabs have always been two separate peoples. The homeland of the Jewish people is Israel so the Jewish refugees from Arab countries have already returned home to Israel.