Monday, March 7, 2016, New York, NY… Stephen M. Greenberg, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, welcomed the introduction of the Displaced Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries and Iran Act (HR 4664) by Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), and Ted Poe (R-TX) on Wednesday, March 2, 2016.
“This bipartisan bill clearly and unambiguously recognizes and addresses the need for U.S. action on behalf of Jews from Arab countries who were systematically persecuted and ultimately expelled in response to the establishment of the State of Israel,” Mr. Greenberg and Mr. Hoenlein said. “The Conference has worked for years with Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC) and other groups, as we advocated for the rights of nearly one million Jews who were victims of deliberate campaigns to deprive them of their property and drive them from Arab countries, in which they had lived for many centuries. It is critically important to ensure that this issue will be a matter of U.S. policy to be addressed in any future Arab-Israeli peace agreement. We appreciate the initiative of the sponsors of the bill and urge prompt passage in the House.”
HR 4664 follows H. Res. 185, which passed unanimously on April 1, 2008, and called for an annual report to Congress about steps that the Executive Branch has taken to address the issue of displaced Jewish refugees from Arab countries and Iran.
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