By Dr Salim Nazzal
I believe that there is no political declaration throughout history that has had devastating effects such as the Balfour Declaration. The Balfour Declaration has ignited wars lasting 100 years in addition that it has posed a serious to the entire globe. The evidence is that during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, The USA and the Soviet Union put their Nuclear weapons on alert. Also it was recently revealed that Israel in the June war with Arabs in 1967 planned to blow up a nuclear bomb in the Sinai desert as a first warning, if the Egyptian forces were superior. Moreover, we have heard more than once that Israeli officials repeated words like that they are able to return the area to the Stone Age.
An important issue must be clarified in this regard
First, when Balfour gave his deadly promise, there was no persecution of the Jews in Europe because the promise came in 1917.
The second is that if there is persecution of an ethnic or religious group, it is natural to see refugee to escape from injustice. But the Zionist movement decided that the Jews should come to Palestine as invaders and not refugees. This is the main reason of the ongoing conflict with no prospects for its resolution so far.
The problem of Balfour’s promise is that he promised to give Palestine to the Jews of Europe, which means, despite the diplomatic attempts to bring envelope it in a moral form, it meant in reality the expulsion of the natives of Palestine. In this sense, it can be said that the Balfour Declaration was an order of expulsion.
If the Jewish example is to be followed internationally, this mean that each oppressed group or each group unhappy where they live has the right to expel others from their home!
Britain took over Palestine after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, and the League of Nations gave Britain the authority to mandate Palestine. The mandate juridical meant to take care of the people of the country so that they could administrate themselves. Balfour’s declaration was completely contrary to the resolutions of the League of Nations.
The promise of Balfour is no longer addressing refugees to flee to Palestine from injustice. The promise was granted to the Zionist movement that had the power, influence and ambition aimed at establishing a state that would be a bridge between the European and Berber civilization, as hers said. It was the first time in history that migrants brought by Britain from Europe succeeded not only in establishing a state, not only in expelling indigenous populations but also in acquiring nuclear weapons within 15 years of its establishment.
At the time of the promise, in 1917, US President Wilson issued what was known as the right to self-determination of peoples. This statement, however, had no value for Palestine. The United States was not very serious about this statement, which remained worthless. The United States supported the Balfour Declaration, contrary to Wilson’s declaration. Therefore, the promise came in the colonial climate. In this climate, there was no respect or value for the opinion of the indigenous population regarding their future. The first and last say was to the British authorities and their ally the Zionist movement.
The story that often said that Britain promised the Zionists to Palestine in return for the Jews persuading America to join Britain in the war may be the direct factor to produce the promise. But this was preceded by the Sykes-Picot secrete agreement 1n 1916 that divided the Arab region in the defeated Ottoman Empire between England and France
The Balfour State of Israel was achieved with iron and fire. The results were disastrous for the original inhabitants of Palestine who lost their homeland and were a disaster for the Arab region that had entered endless war since Israel was forcefully planted
The British Prime Minister’s decision to mark (with pride) the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration is a decision lacking political wisdom, adding salt to the wound. It shows that after 100 years all the oppression which Palestinians are subjected to do not change Britain which continues to play the role of a cruel state that undoubtedly planted the culture of terror in the Middle East and beyond.
Dr. Salim Nazzal, a Palestinian-Norwegian historian on the Middle East, He has written extensively on social and political issues in the region.
Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/10/28/the-balfour-declaration-planted-terror-in-the-middle-east/