Libyan exile plan for UK’s frozen assets

The Jewish Chronicle Online

March 10th, 2011

By: Simon Rocker

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="490" caption="Aldo Habib: lost property"][/caption] His mother and three sisters escaped to Milan, while he and his British wife, Eveleen, came to London, where he had bought a home three years earlier. "That was my lucky deal," he said. His father had been the president of the Jewish community and was "quite influential in the country". As well as owning a successful import and export business, his father was also a judge in Tripoli. The family owned a 100-hectare farm and helped local farmers to export their produce. When Colonel Gaddafi, attempting rapprochement with the West, indicated a few years ago that Libya would be open to compensation claims, Mr Habib, now 82, wrote in 2009 to the relevant office in Tripoli. But there has been no response. "The assets of my family are probably in the region of £7 million," he said. Despite the riots of 1967, he entertains positive memories. "The people are nice, they are not anti-Jewish," he said. "I have Arab friends there. "A school friend of mine I hadn't seen in years came to look me up when he came here a couple of years ago. I try to phone him now, but I can't get through." Seven years ago, Mr Habib told a conference on restitution for Jews from Arab lands that the time was right "for those who have been deprived of their liberty and their property to be justly compensated". At the same time, he expressed hopes of peace and prosperity for "the Libyan people for whom I have a great regard". When his father died in 1962, more than 500 people from all nationalities came to the funeral. But life changed after 1967. "My father's grave does not exist," he said. "They built two skyscrapers on top of the Jewish cemetery." View article hereJune 14, 2011Posted on No Comments

The Jewish Chronicle Online

March 10th, 2011

By: Simon Rocker

Aldo Habib: lost property

His mother and three sisters escaped to Milan, while he and his British wife, Eveleen, came to London, where he had bought a home three years earlier. “That was my lucky deal,” he said.

His father had been the president of the Jewish community and was “quite influential in the country”.

As well as owning a successful import and export business, his father was also a judge in Tripoli. The family owned a 100-hectare farm and helped local farmers to export their produce.

When Colonel Gaddafi, attempting rapprochement with the West, indicated a few years ago that Libya would be open to compensation claims, Mr Habib, now 82, wrote in 2009 to the relevant office in Tripoli. But there has been no response.

“The assets of my family are probably in the region of £7 million,” he said.

Despite the riots of 1967, he entertains positive memories. “The people are nice, they are not anti-Jewish,” he said. “I have Arab friends there.

“A school friend of mine I hadn’t seen in years came to look me up when he came here a couple of years ago. I try to phone him now, but I can’t get through.”

Seven years ago, Mr Habib told a conference on restitution for Jews from Arab lands that the time was right “for those who have been deprived of their liberty and their property to be justly compensated”. At the same time, he expressed hopes of peace and prosperity for “the Libyan people for whom I have a great regard”.

When his father died in 1962, more than 500 people from all nationalities came to the funeral. But life changed after 1967.

“My father’s grave does not exist,” he said. “They built two skyscrapers on top of the Jewish cemetery.”

View article here