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Americans of Arab Descent Appear Before Senate Subcommittee; Slander Israel’s Troops

September 11, 1949
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Members of the Senate immigration subcommittee were told by Americans of Arab descent today that the Arab states are “feverishly building up their armies” against Israel since they believe that they “have lost a battle but not the war.”

The statement was made by Prof. John G. Hazam, of the City College of New York, who is the president of the Institute of Arab-American Affairs. He was one of a group of three who appeared before the subcommittee with a demand that the United States revise the law for admission of displaced persons in a manner which would allow Arab refugees to enter this country. The other two were: George M. Barakat, executive director of the American Middle East Relief, Inc., and Mrs. Louis Nassif of Wheeling, W. Va.

Alleging that Israel troops had terrorized Arab villagers, Prof. Hazam said that the Arabs may retaliate, on Jews still living in Arab countries. He also attacked American Jews for helping the Jewish state. The allegation that Israel troops used terror methods which caused the displacement of “nearly all” of the Arab refugees was made also by Mr. Barakat. Mrs. Nassif, who described herself as a “Red Cross person” who recently returned from visiting Arab refugee camps, said the Arabs were “the most unfortunate of all DP’s.”

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