Congress considers Jewish refugees

Bipartisan resolutions under consideration in Congress urge the president to make sure that any Mideast peace deal addresses the situation of Jewish refugees from Arab lands.     The non-binding resolutions introduced last week were sponsored, in the U.S. House of Representatives, by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Rep. Michael Ferguson (R-N.J.) and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.). In the Senate, they were sponsored by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.). U.S. diplomats should “make clear that the United States government supports the position that, as an integral part of any comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, the issue of refugees from the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf must be resolved in a manner that includes recognition of the legitimate rights of and losses incurred by all refugees displaced from Arab countries including Jews, Christians, and other minority groups,” the House resolution says. Some kind of compensation for Palestinian refugees likely will be part of a final deal; other displaced peoples also want mention. B’nai B’rith International and Justice for Jews from Arab Countries lobbied for the resolutions.