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“THE OPPRESSION OF JEWS IN SYRIA” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4127-H4128 on May 14, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE OPPRESSION OF JEWS IN SYRIA
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Chocola). Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to draw attention to the historic and continued oppression of Jews living in Syria. At the start of the 20th century, it is estimated that there were approximately 40,000 Jews living in Syria. However, by early 1947 only 13,000 were left, with 20,000 having fled through the course of the previous decade as Nazi zeal permeated the region. Immediately after Syria gained independence from France in 1945, vitriolic anti-Semitic propaganda was broadcast on television and radio, inciting the Arab masses to violence. In December, 1947, 1 month after the Partition Plan's acceptance, a pogrom erupted in the Syrian town of Aleppo, torching numerous Jewish properties including synagogues, schools, orphanages, and businesses.
A flurry of anti-Semitic legislation passed in 1948 restricted, among other things, Jewish travel outside of government-approved ghettos, the selling of private property, acquiring land or changing their place of residence. A decree in 1949 went a step further, seizing all Jewish bank accounts; and under threats of execution long prison sentences and torture, most Jews were able to depart between 1948 and 1962.
Due mainly to U.S. influence in the context of the Madrid Peace Process, the majority of the members of the Syrian Jewish community have fled, with only about 1,000 still remaining. Most have chosen to settle here in the United States, including a sizable number in my district in New Jersey.
Mr. Speaker, the situation for those few who remained has deteriorated dramatically over the last few decades. A report published in 1981 indicated Syrian Jews were subject to the Mukhabarat, the Syrian secret police, who conduct a reign of terror and intimidation, including searches without warrant, detention without trial, torture and summary execution.
The few synagogues still open in Syria are considered by authorities as ``centers of sedition,'' with services held under surveillance. Nightly curfews have been established in Jewish communities, and Jews have been required to carry special identity cards.
Jews are barred from employment in government offices, public bodies, or banks. Jews have been arbitrarily dismissed from jobs without compensation, and their licenses to conduct foreign trade have been revoked. Jews have been forbidden the ability to obtain driver's licenses or to even have telephones in the homes. The only exceptions have been for doctors and a handful of merchants that have been given preferential treatment. Syrians are officially advised not to buy in Jewish shops, and government and military personnel are expressly forbidden to even enter them.
Mr. Speaker, the mail of Syrian Jews is even censored. I have been told by Jews here in the United States who still have family in Syria that the relatives request not to be sent any letter or message because they will face interrogation by the state police.
Some would like to think that the number of Jews in Syria is insignificant compared with the millions who are oppressed elsewhere. However, the political implications of the thousands of scapegoats held captive in Syria are beyond comparison to their number.
Syria is listed on the State Department's list of countries who harbor and support terrorism. Syria has proved to be a destabilizing force in the Middle East, continuing to develop and stockpile chemical weapons and the missiles to deliver them and remains the occupying power in Lebanon. Syria offered support to Iraq even as U.S. and coalition forces were engaged in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Yet Syria is subject to fewer U.S. sanctions than any other country considered a state sponsor of terrorism.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to commend my colleagues, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), for introducing the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003. This legislation, which I have cosponsored, holds Syria accountable for its support for terrorism, occupation of Lebanon, and possession and continued development of weapons of mass destruction and would give the President the tools to impose penalties on Syria unless it corrects its behavior immediately.
Mr. Speaker, Syria's mistreatment of its Jewish citizens is one more reason that Congress cannot remain silent on Syria. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act. Congress cannot allow these activities in Syria to continue. We must raise our voices and speak out against Syria's support of international terror and the systematic oppression of its own people.
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