THE 1917 BALFOUR DECLARATION

The Balfour Declaration was unreservedly endorsed by the other Powers. Italy, The Vatican, Japan, Russia, Spain, U.S.. On June 4, 1917 the French Government, through its Minister, M. Cambon, formally committed itself to "the renaissance of the Jewish nationality in that Land from which the people of Israel were exiled so many centuries ago." Even in faraway China, Wang, Minister of Foreign Affairs, assured the Zionists that "the Nationalist Government is in full sympathy with the Jewish people in their desire to reestablish a country for themselves."

In America, echoed by practically every official of public importance, President Wilson wrote that "the Allied nations, with the fullest concurrence of our own Government and people, are agreed that in Palestine shall be laid the foundations of a Jewish Commonwealth." In gratitude the American Jewish Congress cabled H. M. Government, on November 2, 1917, its desire that Great Britain should be given the trusteeship, "acting on behalf of such League of Nations, as may be formed, to assure the development of Palestine into a Jewish Commonwealth. . ." In the United States Congress, members expressed general accord with "the British Declaration in favor of a reconstituting the Jewish State in the Holy Land." The minutes of its sessions show that this understanding had not altered by an iota five years later, when the American Congress was induced to put its seal of approval, by resolution, on the selection of Great Britain as the Mandatory for Palestine and a trustee to implement the reestablishment the Jewish State in its ancient territory.

The utterances of the British Cabinet ministers who framed the Balfour Declaration were no less emphatic. General Smuts asserted that "in generations to come you will see a great Jewish State rising there once more." Declared Lloyd George grandly: ". . . Great Britain extended its mighty hand in friendship to the Jewish people to help it to regain its ancient national home and to realize its age-long aspirations" Said Lord Robert Cecil: "Our wish is that Arabian countries shall be for Arabs, Armenia for the Armenians and Judea for the Jews." And in another occasion he lumped the whole matter in a nutshell, telling the excited Zionists: "We have renewed and given you a renewed national existence. In your hands lies your national future." Lord Balfour was no less

clear. "The destruction of Judea 1900 years ago," he asserted, "was one of the greatest historical crimes, which the Allies now endeavor to remedy."

British newspapers were as one in their mighty paean of approval. Without exception they spoke of "the renewed Jewish State which is to be formed under the suzerainty of a Christian Power." Across the water, the American newspapers echoed these remarks in the same expansive detail. A representative editorial of the time explains: "The Zionists are that group of Jews who wish to found and reconstitute the Jewish Republic in its ancient land of Israel aka Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital as it has its Jewish history. . . The British cabinet has pronounced in favor of Zionism."

"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".

The 1917 Balfour Declaration which was endorsed by the entire international community and in April 1920 at the San Remo Conference was incorporated as international law; reconstituting The Jewish National Home in Palestine (120,000 sq. km. – 47,000 sq. miles) with no boundary restrictions, and the Arabs received over 6 million square miles with a wealth of oil reserves.

Britain’s duty and responsibility as trustee under the Mandate for Palestine in 1920 was as a trustee for the Jewish people in Palestine their mission and duty was to help re-establish The National Home for the Jewish people in their ancestral land and not as an occupying power. Thus Britain stabbed the Jews in the back and failed miserably, violating and abandoning their duty, commitment and promise to help re-establish and reconstitute the National Home for the Jewish people in its Land of Israel aka Palestine. As a matter of fact they did just the opposite; they illegally gave away over 77% of Jewish allocated territory for the new Arab state of Jordan and the British instigated the Arabs against the Jews and closed off immigration to Jewish families trying to escape Nazi death camps thus causing the deaths of millions of Jews. The British also gave away Jewish land west of the Jordan River to Arabs without authorization.

Political Rights in Palestine aka The Land of Israel were granted only and exclusively to the Jews in all of Palestine and that includes the territory east bank of the Jordan River which is now Jordan.

YJ Draiman