Day 2 of November coincides with the 106th anniversary of the Balfour Promise, which was

 the basis for a successive series of "calamities", right up to what is happening in Gaza,

 where the lava of fire is now pouring.

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Edited by| Hugh Gey

 

Humanity  section -  CJ journalist

 

World – November,2,2023

 

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The Balfour Declaration is a letter sent on November 2, 1917 by Arthur Balfour, the British

 foreign secretary at the time, to Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, a prominent British Zionist.

In that letter, the British minister expressed Britain's support for the establishment of a

 "Jewish national homeland" in Palestine.

The text of Balfour's letter:

Ministry of foreign affairs, November 2, 1917

Dear Lord Rothschild،

I have the honour to transmit to you, on behalf of His Majesty's government, the following

 declaration expressing sympathy with the Zionist aspirations of the Jews, submitted for

 consideration and approval by the Council of ministers:

"His Majesty's government is considering approving the establishment of a national

 homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, and will do its utmost to promote this goal.

 It is clearly understood that no measures should be taken that could violate the civil and

 religious rights of non-Jewish communities located in Palestine or the rights and political

status, which Jews enjoy in any other country,"he said.

I would be very grateful if you would bring this announcement to the attention of the Zionist

 Union.

Sincerely Yours،

Arthur James Balfour.

Reasons for that promise:

Among the reasons that prompted Britain to give the Jews the promise of a homeland in

 Palestine, which fell under their control in the aftermath of the first World War and the

 subsequent collapse of the Ottoman Empire, we find the following:

The desire to push the American Jewish community to put pressure on the American

 government in order to make it join the first World War on the side of the Entente.

As the British Prime Minister of the time Lloyd George says: "the Balfour Declaration is not

 just an act of mercy. It should be understood that we are talking about a deal in return ... To

 support the Jews of the whole world for the cause of the allies".

Britain believed that the presence of "friendly" residents in Palestine, with its important

 strategic location, could guarantee Britain its interests as well as the stability of the region.

As for the interior of Britain, the Zionist movement was strong in the Kingdom and had a

 great influence on public opinion and political circles.

London was trying to single out the"right" to control Palestine, whereas under the Anglo-

French agreement that preceded the Balfour Declaration, it was supposed to establish an

 area under international control in central Palestine and not British.

The Balfour Declaration practically changed the course of history, as France announced in

 February 1918 its approval of this "declaration" or promise, followed by Italy on May 9,

 1918, then approved by US President Woodrow Wilson on August 31, 1918, and the US

Congress on June 30, 1922.

It is worth noting that the text of the Balfour Declaration does not address Jerusalem and

 does not talk about the borders of Palestine by the nature of the conditions of the region at

that time, which added confusion and contradictions to that declaration, which is described

 by Arab intellectuals as"ominous".

The Balfour promise was described by Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, saying that

 "those who do not have, gave a promise to those who do not deserve, and then the two

 who do not have and those who do not deserve, by force and deception, were able to rob

 the rightful owner of his right to what he owns and what he deserves".