Reparations: Arabs get 100 times more than Holocaust victims - Hillel Fendel

by Hillel Fendel

Hat tip: Suzy Dym (Mattot Arim)

Holocaust Day: Israeli NGO compares int'l condemnation of Israel's offer to Arab "land-owners" with European restitution to murdered Jews.

Holocaust survivor

Flash 90

The Israel NGO Mattot Arim rails against what it calls the "blatant and unjust double standard" in the matter of restitution to Jews whose land was stolen during the Holocaust.

While Israel, according to its recently-passed and oft-condemned Regulation Law, offers 125% of the value of land taken from alleged PA land-owners, European countries offer Holocaust victim Jews a tiny fraction of that, if any.

Mattot Arim sent its findings to Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, MK Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home), and COGAT (the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories [Judea and Samaria]). Mattot Arim's demand is that the government put an end to the "shameful situation" in which PA Arabs – who may have lost properties because of an error – receive consideration way out of proportion to that given to Jews whose land was ruthlessly stolen from them.

By way of example, Mattot Arim notes the following: Serbia recently announced a 3.7 million NIS ($1 million) restitution package for Serbian-Jewish survivors or other Serbian Jewish interests. Given that at least 14,500 murdered Jews in that country, it can be assumed that no fewer than 2,500 Jewish homes were commandeered by Serbs. This works out, according to Mattot Arim calculations, to just 1,500 NIS ($400) per home!

At the same time, the international community condemns Israel for offering 125% of the value of land to which PA Arabs lay claim – often with little or no proof. Many of these claims are backed by European governments – the same ones that offer Holocaust Jews either nothing or a pittance of a fraction of the worth of properties owned by Jews!

Mattot Arim notes that "Europe never dreamed of actually returning the actual lands owned by millions of Holocaust survivors or their descendants."

Research carried out by the organization indicates that Germany arbitrarily ceased offering compensation for Holocaust-theft of lands back in 1972. The same happened in France in 2003, and in Belgium in 2001. The situation in other countries is even worse; see, for instance this.

Mattot Arim's request of the Justice Minister, the Chairman of the Knesset Judiciary Committee, the Supreme Court, and the Civil Administration is as follows:

"Given that the international norms for return of stolen lands require very little restitution, and that only in Israel are these very high, the legal advisors in Israel must stop claiming the opposite. In addition, regarding the suit against the Regulation Law [offering 125% of the land's value to Arab claimants], the Government of Israel must claim that when accepting Arab land claims, it will follow the norms set by Europe in judging the just Jewish claims to lands owned during World War II. The Supreme Court must reject all suits against the Regulation Law, and adopt the policy that Israel will not hold itself to radically different norms than those held by other nations."


Hillel Fendel

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/228468

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