Happened this day in 1917: The Balfour Declaration
Sana Bagersh
Leading social impact through platforms, partnerships and advocacy. Interculturalism Expert, AI Advocacy, Strategic Communication. Digital Transformation, Thought Leadership. DEI/ ESG Advisor. Speaker, Author, Coach.
With all that's going on right now around us, today, November the 2nd, 2023, cannot pass unnoticed. It is a day that should provide historical context on where the world stands right now. On this very day, 106 years ago, a document called the Balfour Declaration was signed, paving the way for the establishment of the State of Israel.
The Balfour Declaration was a brief yet highly pivotal document. It was issued on November 2, 1917, by Arthur James Balfour, the then British Foreign Secretary, and it outlined the British government's support and intent for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine.
This marked a turning point in the complex history of this region and set in motion a series of events that eventually led to the birth of the Israeli state, and to Palestinians, the dispossession and occupation of their land.
In 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, the Austrian Jewish journalist and activist, Theodor Herzl, shared his vision of the Jewish State, proclaiming the right of the Jewish people to live in their own country.
The Balfour Declaration recognized Herzel's vision in 1917, as it also served various interests of the time. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, Britain assumed control over Palestine under a League of Nations mandate. During the period of the British Mandate, which lasted from 1920 to 1948, Jews fled persecution in other countries and migrated to Palestine.
So when the British Mandate came to an end, the United Nations proposed a plan for the partition of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, and the declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, by David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency.
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The British government saw the creation of the State of Israel as a way to gain the support of Jewish communities around the world, particularly in the United States and Russia, where Jewish political influence was significant.
They believed that supporting Jewish settlement in Palestine could serve its strategic interests in the region, especially facilitating access to the Suez Canal and securing the loyalty of Jews in various countries.
However, the declaration triggered resistance as the Arab population in Palestine, backed by other Arab nations, feared the loss of sovereignty over land they inhabited, along with small populations of Jews and Christians, since the 12th century B.C. The tension between Jewish and Arab communities in the region set the stage for decades of conflict and negotiations that are reflected in the current escalation in Gaza.
The Arab-Israeli conflict, which persists to this day, has been marked by wars, negotiations, and attempts to find a lasting solution to the dispute over land and sovereignty. The Balfour Declaration, issued over a century ago, symbolizes the complexities and challenges inherent in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While it fulfilled the aspirations of many Jews for a homeland, it also ignited inequities that affect the Palestinian people to this day. The document stands as testament to the interplay of skewed, reckless politics, in shaping the destiny of nations.
CDI
1 年British taking a country and gifting it to another when people already lived there and all were safe SHAME BRITAIN
How thoughtful of you to mark the day that started this domino effect. Praying for another declaration that will do good.
International Business Development Director at Elite Business Women-EU-Middle East w ELITE Business Women
1 年700 or more children were killed in Palestine in a week, while in Ukraine over 500 were killed in a year of war. Let's stop defending someone, even if they do something wrong, because it is politically inconvenient. Political correctness teaches impunity, and impunity and abuse of power always end badly. For me, it doesn't matter what nationality the person committing the crime is, skin color or religion. All that matters to me is what he did. That is why this political correctness in itself is bad, because it corrupts and allows some people to do anything and others to pretend that everything is fine. After all, they have been violating basic human rights in Israel for many years, but we cannot talk about it because it is politically undesirable. I know that I am being judged negatively because I do not want to create appearances, but when the army attacks civilians, when it creates terror, when it does not protect Palestinians from Israeli settlers and protects settlers who, for example, persecute children or throw stones at Palestinians, we cannot be indifferent. What did many regret after World War II? People regretted that when something happened, they kept up appearances and remained silent. Let's not do the same thing.