Lebanese journalist disses Balfour Declaration

“In the passage of time it was just a letter sent by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour in 1917 to one of the Jewish leaders in Britain, Lord Rothschild, in whose framework he granted a national homeland to the Jews in the Palestinian territories (i.e., the Balfour Declaration; see note below). This letter only led to conflicts and wars in the region. The Palestinians have not enjoyed peace and Israel has not achieved the dream of its secure and stable state in all the Palestinian territories after more than a century.

Something that was built on something invalid is invalid, and the critical deals – from which the Palestinians were absent and which stole the homeland in stages – will not receive legitimacy with the passage of time. Therefore, what is the meaning of [US President Donald] Trump’s promises today, if the Balfour Promise has enjoyed legitimacy that was enough for it to eliminate Palestine and the rights of all its residents?”

Excerpt of an op-ed by Lebanese journalist Hala Salameh

The Balfour Declaration of Nov. 2, 1917 was a letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Baron Rothschild stating that "His Majesty's government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." In 1922, the League of Nations adopted this and made the British Mandate "responsible for putting into effect the declaration," which led to the UN vote in favor of partitioning Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state in 1947. In response, Britain ended its mandate on May 15, 1948, and the Palestinian Jews, who accepted the Partition Plan, declared the independent State of Israel. The Palestinian Arabs rejected the plan and together with 7 Arab states attacked Israel, in what is now known as Israel's War of Independence.