Thursday, November 2nd, marks the 106th anniversary
of the infamous
Balfour Declaration, in which Britain granted Jews the right to
establish a national homeland in Palestine.
اضافة اعلان
The Balfour Declaration represented the
Western world's initial step toward establishing a Jewish state in Palestine, a
move that aligned with the global Zionist aspirations but at the expense of the
indigenous people who have inhabited this land for thousands of years, Al
Mamlaka TV reported.
November 2, 1917
The declaration took the form of a statement
by then-British Foreign Secretary
Arthur James Balfour in the government of
David Lloyd George on November 2, 1917. It was addressed to Lord Rothschild, a
prominent leader of the global Zionist movement.
This declaration came after three years of
negotiations between the British government, British Jews, and the World
Zionist Organization. Through these negotiations, the Zionists convinced
Britain of their ability to achieve its goals and safeguard British interests
in the region.
The British government had shared the
Balfour Declaration text with then-US President Woodrow Wilson, who approved its
contents before its publication. Official approval came from France and Italy
in 1918. The US President Wilson officially and publicly endorsed it in 1919,
as did Japan.
On April 25, 1920, the Supreme Council of the
Allied Powers at the San Remo Conference approved Britain's mandate over
Palestine, and the
Balfour Declaration was to be implemented as stated in
Article 2 of the mandate.
On July 24, 1922, the League of Nations
approved the mandate, which came into effect on September 29, 1923. This
demonstrates that the
Balfour Declaration was not just a British promise but
had broader implications.
Arab reactions to the declaration varied
between shock, condemnation, and anger. Despite a message from Colonel Percy
Cox, acting on behalf of Britain, stating that the British government would
only allow Jewish settlement in Palestine in a manner consistent with the Arab
population's interests, both economically and politically, the Palestinian
people did not yield to British promises and decisions. The Zionist movement
and its armed groups began to impose facts on the ground.
They initiated a series of successive
revolts, starting with the 1929 Buraq Revolution, followed by the 1936 revolt.
A dream of a homeland, at the expense of
indigenous people
The global Zionist movement and its leaders
relied on this promise as a legal basis to support their demands for establishing
a Jewish state in Palestine and fulfilling the Jewish dream of having a
national homeland. This followed the first Zionist Congress held in Basel,
Switzerland, in 1897, which adopted the Zionist program and stated that Zionism
aimed to create a national homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine.
Referring to the
Balfour Declaration in
Israel's Declaration of Independence underscores the significance of this
promise for Jews. The document reads, "The rise of Israel is the result of
a national movement in Palestine recognized as such by the Balfour
Declaration..."
The Jews succeeded in exploiting this
declaration, issued by Arthur Balfour, known for his closeness to the Zionist
movement, and the subsequent mandate and the United Nations General Assembly's
1947 decision to partition Palestine. This enabled them to realize their dream
of establishing Israel on May 15, 1948. Israel became the first state in the
world's political system to be created on someone else's land, receiving
international support that made it assertive in the region. It expanded and
annexed more Palestinian and Arab lands, suppressing those who remained
mercilessly.
The
Balfour Declaration gave Jews a homeland
when they were not residents of Palestine at the time. There were only about
50,000 Jews in Palestine when the declaration was issued, out of an estimated
12 million worldwide. Meanwhile, the Palestinian population in the region, who
had lived there for thousands of years, numbered approximately 650,000, and
they had developed their lives in the countryside, cities, and deserts of this
land.
The Balfour Declaration:
Foreign Office
November 2nd, 1917
Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you. on behalf of His
Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist
aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet
His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in
Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best
endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly
understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and
religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights
and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the
knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours,
Arthur James Balfour
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