History
Between 1948 and 1951 there were two refugee movements in the Middle East. One was the exodus of about 600,000 Arabs from the Palestinian areas that became Israel. The second was the movement of about 1 million Jews from Arab countries into Israel. Palestinian refugees were enticed by Arab countries to leave their homes while eight Arab armies invaded the newly established Jewish state. The Arab League passed two resolutions in 1949. One prohibited Arab governments from giving citizenship to Palestinian Arab refugees. The second ordered Arab governments to facilitate the expulsion of Jews living in Arab countries. The following table reflects the drastic change in populations of Jews in Arab countries and in Israel in 1948 and in 2004.
| Country | 1948 | 2004 | Number of Immigrants in Israel | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 140,000 | 0 | 110,000 | 1960 |
| Egypt | 100,000 | 300 or less | 90,000 | 1948-56 |
| Iraq | 150,000 | 11 | 125,000 | 1947-51 |
| Lebanon | 6,000 | 0 | 1,000 | 1948 |
| Libya | 35,000 | 0 | 33,000 | 1950 |
| Morocco | 300,000 | 4,000 or less | 250,000 | 1949 |
| Syria | 40,000 | 100 | 35,000 | 1948 |
| Tunisia | 100,000 | 500 or less | 75,000 | 1950 |
| Yemen & Aden | 80,000 | 500 or less | 75,000 | 1948 |
| Total | 951,000 | 5,400 or less | 794,000 |
Populations of Jews in Arab Countries and in Israel
*There are no Jews in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan or the emirates or sheikdoms of the Arabian Peninsula.
While Israel received the penniless Jewish refugees and rehabilitated them as citizens, the Palestinian Arab refugees remained in camps. WOJAC strove to document, in an unofficial capacity, the property and assets of these Jewish refugees. This effort was bolstered in December of 2003 by the Israeli government's decision to authorize WOJAC officially to conduct a thorough documentation of all Jewish property and assets confiscated by the Arab governments from their Jewish inhabitants. The task for documenting in Israel is carried out by WOJAC, Israel, whose president is Mr. Oved Benozair. In the Diaspora, it is carried out by WOJAC, USA whose President is Heskel M. Haddad, M.D..