Mistake and crime must be corrected, we will not forget or forgive - Palestinian

The bad 104th anniversary of British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour's promise to establish a homeland for the Jews in Palestine, we will not forget, we will not forgive, and the mistake and crime must be corrected.

On November 2, 1917 Balfour Declaration was issued, which resulted in a significant upheaval in the lives of Palestinians. The declaration turned the Zionist aim of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine into a reality when Britain publicly pledged to establish “a national home for the Jewish people” based on the false statement “a land without a people for a people without a land.”

With this promise, the famous phrase that sums up a situation like this was fulfilled: ‘who does not possess the land has given a promise to those who do not deserve’ and that day will be a black day not only in the history of the Palestinian people, but in the history of all mankind, and a blow to justice and international legitimacy.

This promise was the first actual step for the West on the path of establishing an entity for the Jews on the land of Palestine in response to the desires of global Zionism at the expense of an authentic people rooted in this land for thousands of years.

The promise came in the form of a statement addressed by the British Foreign Secretary at the time (Arthur James Balfour) in the government of David Lloyd George on November 2, 1917 to Lord Rothschild (one of the leaders of the world Zionist movement), after three years of negotiations that took place between the British government on one hand, and British Jews and the World Zionist Organization on the other; Through it, the Zionists were able to convince Britain of their ability to achieve Britain's goals and preserve its interests in the region.

The British government had presented the text of the Balfour Declaration to US President Wilson, and he agreed on its content before its publication. France and Italy formally approved it in 1918, then the US President Wilson officially and publicly followed it in 1919; So is Japan. On April 25, 1920, the Supreme Council of Allied Powers agreed at the San Remo Conference to entrust Britain with the Mandate for Palestine, and to put the Balfour Declaration into practice as stated in Article Two of the Mandate Deed. On July 24, 1922, the League of Arab States agreed The United Nations approved the Mandate project, which entered into force on September 29, 1923. Thus, we can say: The Balfour Declaration was a Western, not only British promise.

As for the Palestinian people, they did not surrender to the British promises and decisions and the practical realities that the Zionist movement and its armed gangs began to impose on the ground. Rather, Palestinians fought successive revolutions, the first of which was the Al-Buraq Revolution in 1929, followed by the 1936 revolution. Palestinians continue to fight the occupation to this day.

The Jews were able to take advantage of that decision issued by Arthur Balfour, who is known for his closeness to the Zionist movement, and then the British Mandate and the General Assembly resolution in 1947 to partition Palestine, to realize their dream of establishing Israel on May 15, 1948, and for this entity to be a member of the United Nations Under the pressure of the major powers, and Israel became the first country in the history of the global political system to be established on the land of others, and to receive international support, which made it arrogant in the region, expand and swallow more Palestinian and Arab lands, and ruthlessly oppress the rest of the Palestinian people on their land.

Perhaps the motives and reasons that led Britain to adopt and issue this promise are many. Mainly, according to politicians and historians, is the convergence of colonial interests and their intersection with the Zionist movement, based on the strategic value of Palestine as the gateway to Asia. In this context, Theodor Herzl described the role of the Jewish state in Palestine by saying: "For Europe, we will be part of a wall protecting it from Asia, and we will be a guard standing in the vanguard against barbarism." There are other motives and reasons, including: Britain's desire to win the support of the world's Jews during the First World War, and to reduce the waves of Jewish immigration towards Europe and divert it towards Palestine; Because these migrations carry burdens and consequences that harm Britain and other European countries in general.

Add to that, , this promise contradicts one of the most important principles of international law, which is the principle of the right to self-determination, which the allies have long advocated and claimed that they are aligned with and seek to implement it everywhere; But the promise issued by the British Foreign Secretary (one of the pillars of the Allied alliance in the World War) denied the rights of the Palestinian people, a historical injustice that we are still suffering from to this day.

The crime of which the Palestinian people were victims is still present and clear to the world, and its effects continue to burden the Palestinian people, who continue to suffer because of this promise. The Nakba expelled them from their homes in 1948, their homes were destroyed in 1967, killing and destruction and all forms of violations are still continuing until this moment.

The occupying power is still finding someone who promises it protection, support, sponsorship, and military superiority, while turning a blind eye to its actions and crimes against the Palestinian people. The new Palestinian generations will not forgive those who committed this ongoing crime that was the basis for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland and their suffering in the refugee camps and diaspora, and all projects and plans aimed at striking our national project will fail, and they will remain committed to their inalienable rights to freedom, independence and return.