While it is difficult to imply that the developments in Palestine today can be traced back to the Balfour Declaration, there is no doubt that the British Mandate created the conditions for the Jewish minority to gain superiority in Palestine and build a state for themselves at the expense of the Palestinian Arabs.
When the British decided to terminate their mandate in and transfer the question of Palestine to the United Nations , the Jews already had an army that was formed out of the armed paramilitary groups trained and created to fight side by side with the British in World War II. More importantly, the British allowed the Jews to establish self-governing institutions, such as the Jewish Agency, to prepare themselves for a state when it came to it, while the Palestinians were forbidden from doing so — paving the way for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
Note: This article was published in marking the centennial anniversary and has been updated accordingly. In this UpFront special we debate the history and legacy of the Balfour Declaration years after its writing. By Zena Al Tahhan. Published On 2 Nov What is the Balfour Declaration? View this post on Instagram. From: UpFront.
More from Features. COP Could oysters help to save Bangladesh from rising seas? Most Read. In Pictures: Hindus bathe in frothy, polluted Indian river. The Balfour Declaration had been formally enshrined in the British Mandate for Palestine, which had been endorsed by the League of Nations. During the first half of the Mandate period, Britain allowed waves of Jewish immigration. But amid an Arab backlash and rising violence, Israelis remember how it later blocked many fleeing persecution, particularly during the Holocaust.
An expert on international law, Prof Lapidoth argues it was a legally binding declaration, but says Britain found it hard to deliver on its pledge. Prof Lapidoth left Germany in , a year before the start of World War Two, and so has a personal interest in the pronouncement. Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, describes the Balfour Declaration as "a central milestone" in the process of establishing his country. The British government has invited him to London for events to mark the centenary on Thursday.
That decision, at a time of dimming hopes for Israeli-Palestinian peace, has infuriated Palestinians, who plan a day of protests. They want Britain to apologise for the Balfour Declaration. He points out that Palestinians still seek the creation of a state of their own - which alongside Israel would form the basis of the so-called two-state solution to the conflict, a formula supported by the international community. The Balfour Declaration: My ancestor's hand in history.
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Palestine is a small region of land that has played a prominent role in the ancient and modern history of the Middle East.
The history of Palestine has been marked by frequent political conflict and violent land seizures because of its importance to several major world The Oslo Accords were a landmark moment in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East.
Actually a set of two separate agreements signed by the government of Israel and the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization PLO —the militant organization established in to The Ottoman Empire was one of the mightiest and longest-lasting dynasties in world history.
The chief leader, known as the Sultan, was given absolute On October 6, , hoping to win back territory lost to Israel during the third Arab-Israeli war, in , Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a coordinated attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Taking the Israeli Defense Forces by Live TV.
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