Before Israel was created, several Arab delegates at the UN threatened to massacre the Jews in their country. We must now see how the Jews were expelled and frozen out of the Arab lands. It is important to be aware that the Jews in all the Arab countries were unarmed, defenseless and peaceful.
Iraq
Just after Britain relinquished control of Iraq in 1932, the persecution of the Jews began there. There were riots (programs) in which many Jews were killed, many properties were destroyed, the teaching of the holy language of the Jews, Hebrew, was forbidden, and the Jews were removed from public positions and much more.
The Prime Minister of Iraq, Nuri Sa’id, in 1948 openly advocated the expulsion of Iraqi Jews as part of a population exchange with the Arabs in Palestine (the Palestinian refugees). In 1950 and 1951, laws were passed that deprived Jews of their nationality and property, even though many of the Jewish families had lived in the country for centuries. The Jews were given a year to leave the country. The vast majority traveled to Israel. Only a few thousand remained. They continued to be discriminated against and persecuted, leaving the country little by little. When US forces invaded Iraq in 2003, there were only 34 Jews left in all of Iraq. The vast majority of Jews who left Iraq received no or almost no property.
Ever since, the various Iraqi governments have been busy saying that the Jews have nothing to do in Israel and that they should have stayed where they were.
Yemen
Due to constant persecution, the Jews began to leave Yemen in the late 1800s. But the great flight happened in 1949-50. Britain then controlled southern Yemen (Aden), so an air bridge was built from there to Israel. The Jews of northern Yemen had to walk through the desert on foot. Almost all those who did not die along the way were ill when they arrived. Ca. 50,000 Jews fled from northern Yemen, 13,000 from Aden. Now there are approx. 200 Jews left in Yemen. They are still being persecuted and some are still leaving the country.
Syria
In 1948 there were approx. 40,000 Jews in Syria, by then many had already left the country. There were many violent attacks against the Jews, which became very limited in their way of life. There were severe penalties for leaving Syria. The Jews could not be employed in public positions. At times, they had no phone or driving, they could not withdraw their money at the bank and they were not allowed to buy property.
Despite the strict restrictions and punishments, the Jews have left Syria throughout the period, most of them as refugees. As a rule, it was best not to tell your loved ones that you were leaving – the less they knew when the police questioned them, the better. Now there should be approx. 30 Jews left in Syria.
Libya
In 1945, there were a number of assaults on Jewish ghettos. 130 Jews were killed and 4,000 became homeless. In 1967, there were 4,000 left. They were told to leave the country. Each Jew was given a suitcase and fifty dollars. In 1970, all Jewish property was confiscated and “replaced” with bonds with a maturity of 15 years. But as the years passed, the Jews got nothing. There are no Jews left in Libya.