The Arab states, understanding that the Jewish refugees would be made public, thus thwarting anti-Israeli propaganda, “Invited” the Mizrahi Jews (not including Zionists) to return to their countries of origin. Unsurprisingly, this invitation was rejected by the Jews, who knew, based on experience, that only more persecution awaited them there.
In 1951, there were still 250,000 Jewish refugees (about a fifth of Israel’s total population-1,400,000). These refugees lived in temporary communities, in refugee camps (p.98).
A PLO invitation from 1975 called for Jews who fled Arab countries since 1948 to return and have their rights restored (Page 25).
A broadcast from Iraq called for the 140,000 Iraqi Jews in Israel to return to Iraq. (Page 25).
In 1976, the American Sephardic Association, which represents over a million and a half Jewish refugees, published a response to Iraq’s invitation to return home. A full-page ad in the New York times showed a picture of two bodies swinging from gallows surrounded by a watching crowd. These were the bodies of Sabbach Chaim and David Yechezkel, Jews who had been hanged in Baghdad. Under the picture they wrote, “Invitation rejected” (Page 25).
Phillip Hauser, former manager of the U.S. Census (1978): “… the exchange of population between outgoing Arabs and incoming Jews is a reality… the Arabs’ unwillingness to accept Arab refugees – some consider this an intentional means for destroying Israel…” (Page 43).
