President Nasser Speaks About The Egyptian Jewish Community In Response to Western Propaganda

Flip_flop_politics
Published on Feb 23, 2021
This interview took place in Cairo sometime between late 1969 and early 1970.

Clifton Daniel: Is it realistic to expect however that Israel, which wishes to be, as constituted itself as primarily predominantly a Jewish state would accept a very large number of Arabs back into their territory.

Nasser: well, why not, the Jews, and the Arabs, the Christians, and the Muslims were living here in the Middle East for centuries for thousands of years? The Jews were living here in Egypt, and they are living here in Egypt in spite of the propaganda which was used against us in your country; that we don't treat the Jews well; you can go all over the country and you can see the Jews some of them asked to leave the country, and we refused, we agreed, and then they refused to leave the country. and they said that they want to stay. We arrested about 80 Jews but we arrested also, after the war, Muslims and Christians for the security of the country. The Israelis now are arresting more than seven thousand Arabs from the occupied territories and Gaza, so, I want to say again, the Jews and the Muslims the Christians the Arabs were living here, for centuries.

Clifton Daniel: as a matter of information, how many members of the Jewish community in Egypt are left now, how many still remain?

Nasser: we have here about five thousand Jews.

Clifton Daniel: about about five thousand.

Nasser: yeah.

Clifton Daniel: how many you say under detention now, eighty?

Nasser: about eighty yes. There were more than that...

Clifton Daniel: Some have been released.

Nasser: yes.

Nasser: so, I want to complete my explanation; we were living together and there was no hatred! We said that, it is well known, but I think some people have forgotten, that that we and Jews are cousins, Moses was born here in Egypt, we were always living in very good conditions. So, why, the Muslims and Christians, the Arabs, and the Jews don't live together?!

Clifton Daniel: let me turn to question now...