HufvudstadsbladetOp-ed 25.4.2016:
Even today Jews are forced to flee
My fellow countryman, Mr. Jowan Safadi, a guest of the City of Helsinki, presented his version of history and negative interpretation of contemporary Israel in HBL's interview (14.4.2016). He might represent the fringe of Israeli society, but certainly not its majority. In order to understand these issues, let me mention some major events:
In 1947 the United Nations adopted the partition plan for establishing an Arab State and a Jewish State in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine. It was accepted by the Jews, but rejected by the Arabs. Moreover, the Arab countries started to prepare for war against the future Jewish State.
The Political Committee of the Arab League drafted a law to govern the Jews in Arab countries, about 856,000 Jews, referred to as the "Mizrahi Jews". It provided, among other things, that Jews suspected to be Zionists would be interned as political prisoners and their assets would be confiscated. Discriminatory legislation against Jews was enacted and pogroms and anti-Jewish riots took place in many countries, for example in Iraq, Libya and Morocco.
When the State of Israel was established in 1948, it was immediately attacked by its Arab neighbors. As a result of the conflict, two refugee groups emerged: Jews from Arab countries and Arabs of Palestine. It is important to note that many Arabs stayed in Israel and became citizens with equal rights under the law.
During its early years, while surrounded by enemies and coping with limited resources, Israel did its utmost to welcome and absorb the immigrants. Unfortunately, the same did not happen for the Palestinians: Arab countries (except Jordan) refused to grant them citizenship and intentionally maintained their status as refugees.
To this day, the hostile policy of most countries in the region towards Israel and Jews continues to force Jews to flee. For example, just last month, nineteen Jews escaped from war-torn Yemen to Israel. Nowadays, only a fraction of the once flourishing Jewish communities is left in the Arab world.
The painful journey of the Mizrahi Jews is not a mere historical fact, but part of my personal history: as a child, I escaped revolutionary Iran with my family and found a safe haven in Israel – the only place I call home. As newcomers, we were received with open arms. I was educated according to the core values of Israel - still the only true democracy in the Middle East – promoting pluralism and fundamental rights for all of its citizens, regardless of their religion, race or gender.
Unfortunately, sometimes these values are misrepresented in Israel and abroad to an extent that distorts history and facts. In democratic countries, such as Israel and Finland, everyone is of course free to express their views, even if they are extreme or offensive. However, attitudes of this nature, do not contribute to better understanding of the conflict and promoting reconciliation. Let's advance peace through constructive dialogue that will lead to coexistence and brighter future.
Arezoo Hersel
Chargé d’affaires
Embassy of Israel
Op-ed on Hufvudstadsbladet website in Swedish