The Abraham Accords, as well as being a cause for celebration, also raised the issue of Jews from Arab countries. Alongside the regional developments that followed the agreements, it seems that one of them is actually concealed in the past and could bolster efforts to repair an injustice in the narrative of Jews from Arab countries and Iran.
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Thousands of years of history of the million Jews who lived in Arab countries and Iran prior to Israel's founding vanished in a flash. Some had lived in the Middle East more than 2,500 years ago, long before the arrival of Islam.
The magnificent existence of the Jewish communities has also been pushed from the national consciousness, and while the claims of Palestinian refugees are familiar to many, few are aware of the existence of the problem of the Jewish refugees forced to leave the lands of their birth and who significantly shaped the face of the State of Israel.
'A terrible Injustice'
Less than a year before the signing of the Abraham Accords, Israel Hayom revealed the huge scope of property left behind by Jews from Arab countries, especially Jews from Iran, after they were expelled from their countries and moved to Israel. According to an initial and conservative estimate, the value of this property is around $150 billion – an extraordinary amount that reflects an especially tragic chapter in the history of Jews from Arab countries, which until recently has not been widely discussed in Israel.
For the first time, Israel is in possession of comprehensive data on this important issue. It is important to emphasize that today, just as in the past, there is a moral obligation to raise these issues in the international arena.
"A year ago, I made it my goal to also leverage the Abraham Accords in order to fix this terrible injustice at the UN – to advance recognition of the 850,000 Jewish refugees who were expelled from the Arab countries and from Iran," said Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan.
In an interview to Israel Hayom, Erdan said "the UN never did anything and didn't recognize the great injustice that was done to our brothers who were attacked, murdered, and whose property was plundered by the Arab countries who expelled them. I identified the signing of the Abraham Accords as a suitable occasion on which put the issue on the UN's daily agenda and to fix the situation in which the UN works only to assist the 'Palestinian refugees' and doesn't even recognize the pain and the suffering of the Jewish refugees."
Erdan notes that he has pushed this issue during the past year: "I raised it in many conversations with ambassadors and government figures from UN member states, and I worked to put the issue on the daily agenda," he says. Erdan also aims to work both for the restitution of Jewish refugees' property and recognition of their refugee status.
Nov. 29, 2022
One of the main events Erdan organized was a special demonstration outside the UN headquarters on Nov. 29, 2021, in response to the "Solidarity with the Palestinian People" conference that was held the same day in the UN General Assembly. The goal of the conference – which was attended by the president of the General Assembly, the president of the Security Council, and the Palestinian Authority envoy – was to strengthen support for "right of return" for Palestinians.
During the protest, Erdan sent trucks onto the streets of New York decorated with signs, and when they arrived at the UN headquarters, they displayed pictures of Jews expelled from Arab countries. The ambassador also attacked the UN for ignoring of the story of the expulsion of Jews and the plunder of their property.
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"The UN strengthens the false and dangerous narrative of the Palestinians," he declared. "In doing so it erases the Jewish history, distorts the truth and silences the tragic stories of the Jewish refugees – we won't allow it to cause their stories to be forgotten. On Nov. 29, the day on which the Jews' right to a state was recognized, and the day on which the Arabs and the Palestinians rejected the decision and tried to annihilate us – the UN dares to support only Palestinians and to promote the imaginary 'right of return' that would lead to the elimination of the Jewish State. What a disgrace!"
Utilizing all the platforms
"Since that moving day that I was privileged to be a part of, when on the White House lawn, the historic Abraham Accords were signed with Bahrain and the UAE, more than a year has passed," says Erdan. "We have managed to do so much: relations with the [Abraham Accords] countries have become closer with economic, cultural and strategic partnerships, and we have gone from being 'friends on paper' to becoming 'real friends.'
"Since then, I've held joint meetings and events with Abraham Accords countries, including one mark International Women's Day with the Moroccan ambassador to the United States, lighting Hanukkah candles with the Moroccan ambassador to the UN, planting a tree in honor of Earth Day with the Emirati ambassador to the United States – countries with whom we never dreamed we would achieve such intimacy."
But as far as a change in how Jews from Middle East countries are views, Erdan says "it's still not enough."
"Although I held the protest event and I have worked to raise awareness of the issue, I intend to fight more – it's just the beginning of the struggle," he says, promising he will "utilize all the platforms – including the General Assembly that will take place in June and the different meetings that will be part of it – in order to place this important issue on the daily agenda, and to put forward a significant resolution at the UN for recognizing the Jewish refugees from Arab countries and Iran."
