To coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day, the US television station PBS will air a documentary this week in its series Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust in Arab Lands, which will detail the case for Abdul-Wahab and speculate that there are other cases of Arabs who helped their Jewish neighbours during the second world war.

The documentary is based on a book by Robert Satloff, a Jewish historian and executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Satloff said he hoped Abdul-Wahab's case would be looked at in a new light. Three years ago the righteous among the nations case for him was turned down by Yad Vashem, the body that rules on candidates. I am certainly hopeful that the documentary puts the spotlight back on the story of Abdul-Wahab and also other Arab rescuers, Satloff told the Observer. I am hopeful that the powers-that-be will be prepared to take another look at this case. I think the evidence is compelling.