In a non-binding resolution, the US House of Representatives has recognized the rights of Jewish refugees from Arab lands in any final Middle East peace deal. The bipartisan resolution, which passed in a voice vote on Tuesday, urges any US government to ensure that the rights of such refugees – believed to number approximately 850,000 – are part of a peace deal between Israel and the Arabs.
Pro-Palestinian groups criticized the legislation as undermining the claims of Palestinian refugees, but Congressman Jerrold Nadler, lead sponsor, of the resolution rejected such claims. "This should not be an impediment to the peace process in any way," he said, adding, "It is important to raise the question of Jewish refugees and the property left behind in Arab countries. It does not in any way say that the rights of Palestinian refugees should not be handled." Stanley Urman, the executive director of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, the Jewish group that led the lobbying effort for the resolution, said the vote "restored truth to the Middle East narrative."
It is the first time that the issue of Jewish refugees was addressed by the US Congress.
