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First Iraqi Jewish Immigrants Expected in Israel Within Next Two Weeks

May 17, 1950
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The first group of Jewish immigrants from Iraq are expected to arrive in this country within the next two weeks, it was learned here after yesterday’s meeting of the eight-member Supreme Development Authority, which discussed plans for removing the Jews from the Arab land.

Yesterday’s meeting, the first of the new immigration and colonization policy-making body, was held at the home of Premier David Ben Gurion. Present at the discussion were the Premier, and Ministers Eliezer Kaplan, Golda Myerson and Moshe Shapira, for the government; and Berl Locker, Levi Eshkol, Itzhak Rapahel and Zvi Herman, for the Jewish Agency. It is expected that the Premier will go before Parliament this week with a request that it approve the establishment of the joint authority–urged by the Zionist Actions Committee–as well as the composition of the body.

It is estimated that some 50,000 Jews will be transferred in the first phase of the migration, while some 100,000 are expected to be brought out within 12 months after the exodus begins. The Iraq Government last week announced that the American owned Near East Airways Company had been granted permission to fly the Jews directly from an Iraq field to Israel.

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