One of the best short summaries of the origin of the Arab-Israeli conflict is to be found in the Truman Library: The Recognition of the State of Israel
This summary begins with the implication that the 1917 Balfour Declaration was a recognition of the right for the zionists to establish a Jewish State. The Balfour Declaration reads as follows:
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours 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."
Notice that this statement falls well short of the establishment of a "State" of Israel. A national home for the Jewish people is not a Jewish State. The Balfour Declaration is clear that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine. The Balfour Declaration on its own is also inadmissible as a constitutional document for a host of reasons: firstly, the British had just liberated Palestine from the Turks and had no authority to bind future authorities or generations, secondly this "declaration" is just a letter from a government minister to potential supporters against the Turks in time of war, thirdly, this letter is not an official treaty recognised by all participants in the area. However, much of the Balfour Declaration was included in the peace treaty of Versailles in 1919 and hence passed into international law, as recognised by the victorious powers. It is the Treaty of Versailles that is the document that has the status necessary to condone the mass migration of Jews to Israel but it still avoids a "Jewish" state, permitting a multicultural state that is a homeland for the Jews.
The appropriate sections of the Treaty of Versailles in which Britain was selected to execute the will of the League of Nations are:
"The Palestine Mandate
....
"Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have selected His Britannic Majesty as the Mandatory for Palestine; and "
....
"ART. 2.
The Mandatory shall be responsible for placing the country under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish national home, as laid down in the preamble, and the development of self-governing institutions, and also for safeguarding the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race and religion.
ART. 3.
The Mandatory shall, so far as circumstances permit, encourage local autonomy.
ART. 4.
An appropriate Jewish agency shall be recognised as a public body for the purpose of advising and co-operating with the Administration of Palestine in such economic, social and other matters as may affect the establishment of the Jewish national home and the interests of the Jewish population in Palestine, and, subject always to the control of the Administration to assist and take part in the development of the country.
The Zionist organization, so long as its organization and constitution are in the opinion of the Mandatory appropriate, shall be recognised as such agency. It shall take steps in consultation with His Britannic Majesty's Government to secure the co-operation of all Jews who are willing to assist in the establishment of the Jewish national home.
ART. 5.
The Mandatory shall be responsible for seeing that no Palestine territory shall be ceded or leased to, or in any way placed under the control of the Government of any foreign Power.
ART. 6.
The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews on the land, including State lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.
ART. 7.
The Administration of Palestine shall be responsible for enacting a nationality law. There shall be included in this law provisions framed so as to facilitate the acquisition of Palestinian citizenship by Jews who take up their permanent residence in Palestine.
...." Treaty of Versailles. 1919. Avalon Project, Yale University. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/palmanda.asp
Notice that Jews can be citizens of Palestine and are "subject always to the control of the Administration to assist and take part in the development of the country." They are not given carte blanche to rule Palestine.
After the second world war the British handed over the issue of Jewish settlement in Israel to the United Nations. The UN recommended the partition of Palestine.
In the 1920s Britain was operating a peacekeeping force in Palestine under the auspices of international law. It is easy for Americans to feel kinship with the Zionists who seemingly threw off the yoke of British rule like those heroic founders of their own country but if they feel this then they do not understand the history of the twentieth century. The Zionists were fighting the international law of the League of Nations and the United Nations, it just happened that in 1920 it was the British who had to implement this law. Once the mandate expired on May 14th 1948 no other country or group of countries would fill the gap and the Zionists took over with American support.
The first real recognition of a state of Israel was by Truman in 1948:
"This Government has been informed that a Jewish state has been proclaimed in Palestine, and recognition has been requested by the provisional government thereof. The United States recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the State of Israel." (Truman Library).
At this time Truman envisaged a post second world war "New World Order" in which enclaves of western culture would be encouraged in every continent so that the world might be converted to the western way of doing things and communism would be thwarted.
The first Arab-Israeli war began on the day after Truman's statement. The rest is well known and has led to Hisbolla, Al Qaeda, Hamas etc. and may end horribly badly.
This summary begins with the implication that the 1917 Balfour Declaration was a recognition of the right for the zionists to establish a Jewish State. The Balfour Declaration reads as follows:
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours 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."
Notice that this statement falls well short of the establishment of a "State" of Israel. A national home for the Jewish people is not a Jewish State. The Balfour Declaration is clear that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine. The Balfour Declaration on its own is also inadmissible as a constitutional document for a host of reasons: firstly, the British had just liberated Palestine from the Turks and had no authority to bind future authorities or generations, secondly this "declaration" is just a letter from a government minister to potential supporters against the Turks in time of war, thirdly, this letter is not an official treaty recognised by all participants in the area. However, much of the Balfour Declaration was included in the peace treaty of Versailles in 1919 and hence passed into international law, as recognised by the victorious powers. It is the Treaty of Versailles that is the document that has the status necessary to condone the mass migration of Jews to Israel but it still avoids a "Jewish" state, permitting a multicultural state that is a homeland for the Jews.
The appropriate sections of the Treaty of Versailles in which Britain was selected to execute the will of the League of Nations are:
"The Palestine Mandate
....
"Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have selected His Britannic Majesty as the Mandatory for Palestine; and "
....
"ART. 2.
The Mandatory shall be responsible for placing the country under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish national home, as laid down in the preamble, and the development of self-governing institutions, and also for safeguarding the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race and religion.
ART. 3.
The Mandatory shall, so far as circumstances permit, encourage local autonomy.
ART. 4.
An appropriate Jewish agency shall be recognised as a public body for the purpose of advising and co-operating with the Administration of Palestine in such economic, social and other matters as may affect the establishment of the Jewish national home and the interests of the Jewish population in Palestine, and, subject always to the control of the Administration to assist and take part in the development of the country.
The Zionist organization, so long as its organization and constitution are in the opinion of the Mandatory appropriate, shall be recognised as such agency. It shall take steps in consultation with His Britannic Majesty's Government to secure the co-operation of all Jews who are willing to assist in the establishment of the Jewish national home.
ART. 5.
The Mandatory shall be responsible for seeing that no Palestine territory shall be ceded or leased to, or in any way placed under the control of the Government of any foreign Power.
ART. 6.
The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews on the land, including State lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.
ART. 7.
The Administration of Palestine shall be responsible for enacting a nationality law. There shall be included in this law provisions framed so as to facilitate the acquisition of Palestinian citizenship by Jews who take up their permanent residence in Palestine.
...." Treaty of Versailles. 1919. Avalon Project, Yale University. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/palmanda.asp
Notice that Jews can be citizens of Palestine and are "subject always to the control of the Administration to assist and take part in the development of the country." They are not given carte blanche to rule Palestine.
After the second world war the British handed over the issue of Jewish settlement in Israel to the United Nations. The UN recommended the partition of Palestine.
In the 1920s Britain was operating a peacekeeping force in Palestine under the auspices of international law. It is easy for Americans to feel kinship with the Zionists who seemingly threw off the yoke of British rule like those heroic founders of their own country but if they feel this then they do not understand the history of the twentieth century. The Zionists were fighting the international law of the League of Nations and the United Nations, it just happened that in 1920 it was the British who had to implement this law. Once the mandate expired on May 14th 1948 no other country or group of countries would fill the gap and the Zionists took over with American support.
The first real recognition of a state of Israel was by Truman in 1948:
"This Government has been informed that a Jewish state has been proclaimed in Palestine, and recognition has been requested by the provisional government thereof. The United States recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the State of Israel." (Truman Library).
At this time Truman envisaged a post second world war "New World Order" in which enclaves of western culture would be encouraged in every continent so that the world might be converted to the western way of doing things and communism would be thwarted.
The first Arab-Israeli war began on the day after Truman's statement. The rest is well known and has led to Hisbolla, Al Qaeda, Hamas etc. and may end horribly badly.
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