Occasionally even Congress does something right. Making their way through the House and Senate are two resolutions that would require international discussions mentioning Palestinian refugees to also refer to Jewish refugees from Arab countries. Sadly, even if the resolutions pass, President Bush and Condi, his genius at the State Department, will not let it stand. Can’t upset our friends the Saudis!

The Jerusalem Post reports on the growing support for the Jewish refugees cause.

Groups advocating on behalf of Jewish refugees from Arab countries have stepped up efforts over the last year to bring the issue to the forefront of discussions relating to Middle East refugees.

Last fall, a conference on “rights and redress” for this population launched a campaign in Jerusalem to register all families who lost assets when Jews fled Arab countries following the creation of the State of Israel.

In May, the House Foreign Affairs Middle East and South Asian Subcommittee Chairman Gary Ackerman held a hearing on the subject, the first such Congressional hearing, according to his staff.

The two resolutions currently before Congress were introduced at a Congressional Human Rights Caucus briefing last week that addressed the mass displacement of minority populations from Arab countries. It is estimated that 850,000 Jews fled Arab states following the creation of the State of Israel.

The resolutions – one in the House and the other in the Senate – instruct the president to ensure that any international discussion of Middle East refugees make mention of Jewish, Christian and other refugees “as a matter of law and equity.”

Since 1947, the United Nations General Assembly has adopted 681 resolutions on the Middle East conflict, including 101 resolutions on Palestinian refugees.

“During that same period there were no UN resolutions, nor any recognition or assistance from the international community, for Jewish and other refugees from Arab countries,” said Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), a member of the Caucus, at the briefing.

The principal parties involved in the Mideast peace process must restore “fidelity” to the narrative, said Irwin Cotler, human rights activist and former justice minister and attorney-general of Canada. Cotler blamed the UN for “distorting” this narrative.

“We need to rectify a historical injustice that has gone on for 60 years, and return the narrative of Jews from Arab countries to the Mideast narrative,” Cotler told The Jerusalem Post. Cotler was unable to attend the briefing, but submitted written testimony that focused on the themes of “truth, justice and reconciliation.”

Any Mideast peace process needed to address the “rights and redress” of Jews from Arab countries, said Cotler. More than that, he said, the US, in the course of its foreign policy, should ensure that any resolution regarding refugees must include reference to Jewish refugees.

“We are not saying we should exclude Palestinian refugees, but certainly should not be excluding consideration for Jewish refugees,” said Cotler.

The hearing is the latest in a series of ongoing efforts to give the cause a higher profile.