Erasing Jews from the Story of the Middle East

Of Israel’s Jewish population today, over 50% are descendants of those exiled from Arab and Muslim lands. These families did not come with colonial ambitions; they came as dispossessed refugees...

Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

Written By: Thando Nzimande

An Unspoken Exodus

When the word "refugee" surfaces in any conversation about the Middle East, it invariably centers on the Palestinian people. This focus is not unwarranted, Palestinians have experienced profound loss, dispossession, and statelessness since 1948. Yet, a staggering historical parallel remains conspicuously absent from the global narrative: the forced displacement of nearly 850,000 Jews from Arab and Muslim countries following the creation of the State of Israel.

From Baghdad to Casablanca, Aleppo to Aden, Jewish communities were uprooted and majority of them were taken violently, others through legislated persecution were stripped of their citizenship, their property seized, their synagogues torched, and their history erased. This mass expulsion wasn’t merely a collateral consequence of war, it was a coordinated, retaliatory purge. These Jewish communities, many of which predated Islam itself, were obliterated from their homelands in the span of just a few decades.

And yet, their story remains untold. Their refugee status, unacknowledged. Their trauma, unrecognized.

The Illusion of Israel as a "European Project"

One of the prevailing myths used to undermine Israel's legitimacy is the notion that it is a "European colonial implant" in the Middle East. This falsehood is not only historically inaccurate, it is also a deliberate distortion that erases the lived realities of Mizrahi (Eastern) and Sephardi (Spanish-Arabic) Jews.

Of Israel’s Jewish population today, over 50% are descendants of those exiled from Arab and Muslim lands. These families did not come with colonial ambitions; they came as stateless, dispossessed refugees fleeing persecution. In Iraq, Jews were once integral to society, comprising a third of Baghdad’s population. In Egypt, they were prominent in banking, trade, and culture. In Libya, they predated Islam by centuries. By the 1970s, almost none remained.

The idea that Jews are foreign to the region is not only offensive but it is a form of historical erasure. Jews are indigenous to the Middle East. The story of Jewish displacement from Arab lands is proof not only of persecution but of belonging.

Double Standards in International Recognition

A painful and persistent irony underpins this issue: while Palestinian refugees are recognized and perpetually counted through UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency), Jewish refugees from Arab lands have no equivalent. No international agency tracks them. No global outcry demands restitution. There are no annual UN resolutions. Their history has been politically inconvenient, and therefore, largely erased.

This double standard is stark. Palestinian refugees, whose plight deserves recognition, have often been used as a political weapon by Arab states. Meanwhile, the Jews expelled from those same states were resettled, primarily in Israel, where they were absorbed not without difficulty but with dignity. They were not left in camps. They were not denied rights. They were not used as bargaining chips. And for this, the international community has dismissed their suffering as solved which is far from the case.

But "absorption" is not the same as justice. There has been no restitution for stolen property, no acknowledgment from Arab governments, and no compensation. The trauma persists in silence.

Modern Conflict and the Weaponization of History

In today’s context, where Israel’s very right to exist is challenged by both armed groups and academic institutions, the erasure of the Jewish refugee story has strategic implications. If Israel can be portrayed solely as an oppressor and its Jewish citizens as illegitimate "settlers," then its defensive actions, its security concerns, and even its cultural identity can be delegitimized.

The Jewish refugee experience disrupts this narrative. It reminds us that Jews, too, have been displaced, dispossessed, and hunted in the Middle East. It exposes a broader pattern of intolerance in the Arab regimes, not just toward Jews, but toward religious and ethnic minorities more generally.

It also reveals a painful truth: which shows had there been a willingness to acknowledge both refugee populations, Palestinian and Jewish, then peace efforts might have found firmer ground. But the continued denial of Jewish refugee history sustains a lopsided narrative that prevents mutual recognition and reconciliation.

Israel’s Argument: Memory as a Form of Resistance

Israel’s insistence on recognizing the Jewish refugee issue is not about negating Palestinian suffering, it’s about demanding historical integrity. If the global community truly seeks justice, then it must be justice for all. If peace is the goal, then truth is the starting point.

In recent years, Israel has begun to document this forgotten exodus. Institutions like the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and groups such as JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) are amplifying testimonies, collecting archives, and pushing for international recognition. But these efforts are often drowned out by a world more comfortable with a simplistic binary: Israel as the aggressor, Palestinians as the victims.

This narrative is not only unjust, it is historically incomplete. Both peoples carry wounds. Both peoples deserve acknowledgment. But acknowledgment must begin with inclusion. And for that to happen, Jewish refugee history must be re-centered in public discourse.

Toward a More Honest Reckoning

As new generations take up the mantle of activism, scholarship, and diplomacy, the moral challenge is clear: we must reject one-sided storytelling. The Israeli and Palestinian conflict is complex, rooted in dual histories of loss and longing. Elevating one voice at the expense of another is not justice in fact it is the true definition of propaganda.

We cannot claim to seek peace while denying the very existence of half the displaced. We cannot call for justice while ignoring a whole groups erasure to validate another’s suffering.

If the world is serious about reconciliation, then it must start by remembering all it has forgotten like exoduses, including the 850,000 Jews who left behind centuries of home, history, and hope in Arab lands.

Thando Nzimande is a writer and postgraduate student with a background in neuroscience and biomedical science. A former Wits SRC Subcommittee leader, he championed student welfare and academic access, and is now pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Management in Monitoring and Evaluation with a focus on data-driven impact. His work blends academic rigor, leadership experience, and a passion for meaningful change.