Iraqi Council Weighs Return of Jews, Rejecting It So Far. [View All]

[Jackie97]

Iraqi Council Weighs Return of Jews, Rejecting It So Far
By DEXTER FILKINS
The New York Times
BAGHDAD, Iraq
Feb. 27

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/28/international/middleeast/28CONS.html?pagewanted=2

“My feeling is, as long as the Palestinian problem exists, as long as there is a state of war, then we should not allow the Jews to return," said Muhammad Bahaddin Saladin, a member of the Governing Council. ‘The minister of defense in Israel is an Iraqi Jew. Should we let him return?’”

“Many council members said they favored restoring the revoked citizenship of Iraqis until the discussion turned to the Jews. Some said they were ardently opposed to the idea of allowing the Jews to return. Others said they were more concerned about whether the issue might isolate Iraq among its neighbors in the Arab world.
Council members said they ultimately agreed that that they would allow all Iraqis who had been stripped of their citizenship to return except for the Jews.”

“Dr. Haddad, a Manhattan ophthalmologist, said he had talked to hundreds of Iraqi Jews about the possibility of returning. "For so many of us, it is a dream to go back," he said.”


I think that this is related to the I/P issue because this is being used as the justification for not allowing the Jews back into Iraq. Also, I have to say that if people are going to advocate the right for the Palestinians to return to Israel/Palestine, then we need to also advocate for the rights of Jews to go back to Israel. I wasn't originally doing that because I didn't think that Jews wanted to go back, but now I am. I'm hoping that some of you all that advocate for the Palestinians feel the same way.