The forgotten refugees

A few days ago, the ‘Nakba’ was commemorated. For the Arab world, this represents the ‘catastrophe’ of the refugee flow resulting from the declaration of an independent Israel, and the war that followed after almost every Arab and/or Muslim country in the wider region attacked the new state. This refugee flow was indeed immense, but refugee crises have existed in all eras and across all regions.

In recent years, much attention has rightfully gone to the war in Ukraine, which has displaced hundreds of thousands across Europe—many of whom have been received with empathy and care. Afghanistan and Syria, too, have produced refugee flows that we are all familiar with. And rightly so—these are deeply personal human tragedies. 

Yet throughout modern history, there have also been refugee crises that received far less attention—stories that remain unknown to much of the wider public. 

The Middle East 

Palestine refugees (British Mandate of Palestine – 1948). “Making their way from Galilee in October-November 1948” (Public Domain, Fred Csasznik).

The Nakba, or “Catastrophe,” is – as stated before – widely known and yearly commemorated on the 15th of may. Around 750,000 Arabs were displaced during the founding of the State of Israel — some fled the fighting that broke out after the surrounding Arab states launched a military attack on the newly declared state, others were expelled by Israeli forces, and still others left voluntarily, following calls from Arab leaders, including the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, who urged them to temporarily evacuate in anticipation of an Arab victory. To this day, the Nakba remains a central issue in negotiations between Israel and the Arab world. Entire volumes have been written on the subject, and the United Nations has passed more than 160 resolutions relating to this refugee situation. 

And yet, almost no one speaks of—or has even heard of—the Jewish refugees. Not those fleeing European antisemitism, but Jews who were expelled from the Middle East and North Africa following Israel’s establishment. 

Jews 

These Jewish communities—many of them thousands of years old—were uprooted. Some fled with little more than the clothes on their backs. Others were murdered, as in the 1947 Aleppo Pogrom. In many cases, Israel itself stepped in to evacuate them. We are not talking about a few thousand people. The numbers are staggering. 

In Iraq alone, 120,000 Jews were brought to Israel through Operation Ezra and Nehemiah in

Jewish refugees from Iraq to Israel in 1951 (1951, Unknown author)

1950. This operation was not just a matter of convenience—it was urgent. Jews were forbidden to leave the country, yet were simultaneously subjected to increasing persecution. Even during the airlift, bombings targeted Jewish institutions in Baghdad, causing multiple casualties. 

And this is just one example. 

In fact, Israel’s population doubled in the early years after its founding—due in large part to  the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries. Between 1948 and the 1970s (up to the Iranian Revolution), more than 850,000 Jews fled, were expelled, or were rescued from Arab and other Muslim-majority states. Upon arrival in Israel, many spent years living in refugee camps. 

A Warning Ignored 

What makes this all the more tragic is that it was predicted. On the eve of the 1947 UN vote on partition, Egyptian delegate Heykal Pasha issued a chilling warning: 

Mohammed Hussein Heikal
(محمد حسين هيكل, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

“The United Nations… should not lose sight of the fact that the proposed solution might endanger a million Jews living in the Moslem countries. Partition of Palestine might create in those countries an anti-Semitism even more difficult to root out than the anti-Semitism which the Allies were trying to eradicate in Germany. If the United Nations decides to partition Palestine, it might be responsible for the massacre of a large number of Jews.”
(U.N. General Assembly, Second Session, Ad Hoc Committee on the Palestinian Question, Summary Records, Lake Success, N.Y., Sept. 25–Nov. 15, 1947, p. 185) 

A warning that, tragically, proved true. And yet the world remains largely unaware of it. Worse still—it is almost never spoken of. 

Recognition and Rights 

When it comes to the Nakba, the United Nations, international media, Amnesty International, and NGOs like 11.11.11. consistently highlight the Palestinians’ “right of return” and claims for compensation for lost property. These are legitimate topics for discussion, and this article does not dispute that. 

But the question remains: why is there no parallel recognition of the Jewish refugees from Arab lands? Do they not deserve acknowledgment? Do they not deserve the right of return—or at the very least, the right to compensation? 

Research has shown that the estimated value of lost property and assets from these Jewish communities could total as much as $150 billion USD. In many cases, Jews were stripped of their possessions upon departure—or were forbidden to take anything with them. 

Thankfully, not everyone has turned a blind eye. In 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for Jewish (and Christian) refugees from Arab lands to be included in peace negotiations. 

Let this be clear: this article is not meant to negate or diminish the plight of Palestinian refugees. Their situation is real, and any just solution will need to account for it. Determining who bears responsibility, and what form redress should take, is for policymakers to decide. 

What is deeply troubling, however, is that none of the 160+ UN resolutions on Middle Eastern refugees even mention the Jewish refugees. Not one. In all the news stories, in all the op-eds, in all the global conversations around justice and refugees—this group has been conspicuously and consistently ignored. 

This is not about politics. This is not about religion. 

This is about fairness.
This is about justice.