The Politics of Defining Jews from Arab Countries

Abstract

In the past decade, there has been a resurgence of interest in recognizing Jews displaced from Arab countries following the creation of the state of Israel as refugees. Earlier efforts in the 1970s to accomplish this were unsuccessful. However, the U.S. and Israeli governments have not only recognized these Jews as refugees, but have also promised to raise their claims in the context of a comprehensive peace agreement. What changed between then and now to make such recognition feasible? By examining the historical and political conditions under which application of the “refugee” label has been debated within the Zionist context, this article illuminates the role that human agency plays in making the refugee a socially and politically acceptable category.