More than 2,000 Jews have been evacuated from Iran to Israel by air recently, it was revealed here today. The operation has been carried out by large transoceanic Skymaster planes carrying 60 passengers non-stop between Teheran and Lydda four or five times a week.
One Teheran Jew who recently arrived said that the Iranian Government wants all foreign Jews to leave the country. About 5,000 Jews are now in Iran, including those from Poland, India and Iraq. Itzhak Raphael, head of the Jewish Agency’s immigration department, said that his division was ready to provide additional planes and facilities for expediting the Jewish evacuation from Iran, if the need should arise.
(The Iranian Ambassador in Washington today confirmed reports of Iranian expulsion of Iraqi Jews. Because Iraq persecuted Iranian businessmen, Iran is retaliating by the expulsion of 1,500 Iraqi nationals (1,470 of whom are Jews), Iranian Ambassador Hussein Ala admitted today. The Ambassador pointed out that the “retaliation move” was not aimed against Jews but against Iraqi nationals living in Iran and that it was only coincidental that the great majority affected were Jewish. He said that expelled Jews would not be forced to go back to Iraq but would be free to emigrate to Israel.)
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