A leader of the World Jewish Congress declared here last night that thousands of Jews in Arab countries continue to suffer imprisonment, persecution and maltreatment in the aftermath of last June’s Arab-Israel war and that many of the Arab governments have rejected attempts by the International Red Cross to intervene on their behalf.
Dr. Solomon Gaon, vice president of the WJC’s British section, made the charges in an address at the opening of the organization’s 15th biennial conference. Hundreds of Jews, he said, were still detained in Egyptian prisons where they are subject to mistreatment and even torture. Considerable Jewish property has been confiscated by the Egyptian Government and many Jews have been dismissed from their jobs, Dr, Gaon said. Some Jews have been expelled from Egypt but were forced to leave their families behind.
In Syria, Dr. Gaon said, the government has not only banned Jewish emigration but has forbidden Jews to leave the Damascus city limits. The Red Cross has been forbidden to investigate. Syria has a Jewish population of 3,600.
In Iraq, where there are still 3,000 Jews, many were arrested after the June war, about 30 families have been detained and the government has banned emigration while refusing to allow the Red Cross to interview Jews. In all of the Arab countries. Dr. Gaon said, the press and radio continue to wage campaigns of incitement against the Jews.
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