Important Articles
An international conference discussing the significance of the Balfour Declaration has taken place at the Knesset in Jerusale. This gathering was intended to examine the historic context of the Declaration and look at the state of UK-Israel relations a century later. A most impressive line up of speakers promised to provide an enthralling and informative opportunity to learn more about the document and the relationship between the UK and Israel today. Read more and watch 3 videos from the event.
Netanyahu utters the long awaited words: ISRAEL WOULD REMAIN IN THE WEST BANK FOREVER. It would have been preferable had he said: In Judea and Samaria. Nevertheless, it is the message that counts. He also vowed to fight tor the return of the remains of the abducted soldiers by Hamas; Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul. He was supported in this endeavour by Naftali Bennett, who said: We have to stop making concessions to Hamas… to ensure that it won’t be worth it for Hamas to hold onto our sons. Read more.
The Balfour Declaration was not the only expression of support for the re-establishment of a Jewish state by a nation involved in the First World War. Moreover, without the approval of Great Britain’s allies – including the US – the Balfour Declaration might not have seen the light of day. Read more.
Writing in the Winnipeg Free Press, the executive director of HonestReporting Canada discusses the legacy of the Balfour Declaration, defends the Zionist credentials of its author, and singles out Canadians for Balfour 100 for praise. Read more.
Not content to attack the Jewish state as it exists today, anti-Israel vandals are reaching back a century to besmirch the names of those, such as Arthur Balfour, David Lloyd George, and their cabinet colleagues who were responsible for the Balfour Declaration. Now the same impulse is apparently behind the defacing of the memorial in Belfast that honours John Henry Patterson. Read more.
This new anti-Semitism draws upon ancient themes but uses new techniques and the latest technologies to attack Jews and the Jewish state.
The latest legal piece of “lawfare” against the Jewish State is U.N. Security Council resolution 2334. It calls on Israel to accept the 1949 armistice lines. This means that the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem is somehow no longer Jewish and the Kotel, the Wailing Wall, that is the Western Wall of the Jewish Temple, is also somehow not Jewish (translate: not Israeli). Please read the legal opinion written by Canadians for Balfour 100’s Founding Member, Donald Carr.
Many critics of President Obama’s abstention from the recent UN Security Council vote, and Secretary of State John Kerry’s justification for this betrayal, underplayed or missed the historical and religious context. The US’ irrational insistence that a Jewish presence in east Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank are “flagrant violations of international law” is effectively a new blood libel. Click here for the full story.
The Balfour Declaration is “one of the most important letters in history,” British Prime Minister Theresa May told supporters recently, adding that “it demonstrates Britain’s vital role in creating a homeland for the Jewish people.” She referred to the centenary year of the Declaration in 2017 as a “special time…an anniversary we will be marking with pride.” “Born of that letter, and the efforts of so many people, [Israel] is a remarkable country,” she said, and discussed the shared values and substantial trading relationships between Israel and Great Britain. Click here to read her entire remarks.
Lawyers Abraham Bell and Eugene Kontorovich, in the latest Arizona Law Review, explain that under the widely accepted legal concept of uti possidetis juris, when a newly formed state emerges from a territory that did not have independence or sovereignty, it inherits the borders of that territory. This determination completely overrides the media concepts of “illegal settlements”, “occupation”, and “Palestinian lands”. Click here for the full story.
The Security Council is wrong in its interpretation of international law when it refers to Israel as an occupier of foreign territory, say experts cited in a recent article. Writing in The Times of Israel, Robert Stark points out that “in order to find Israel’s settlements to be a violation of international law, first Israel must be considered an occupier of foreign territory. Yet, Israel’s legal claim to the territory in question was recognized by the international community on several occasions.” The first occasion he cites was the San Remo Conference of 1920. That conference divided up territories of the former Ottoman Empire into what would become the independent countries of the modern Middle East. The resolutions of the conference incorporated the Balfour Declaration, setting aside what is now Jordan and Israel (including the “West Bank”) for a Jewish state; the part that became Jordan was later separated from this “mandate”. The decisions of the conference were endorsed by the League of Nations in 1922. They were also re-affirmed by the charter of the United Nations at its founding in 1945. Click here to read the entire article.
While many world leaders continue pressing Israel to make sacrifices for a two-state solution with the Palestinians, former US president Obama thinks the opportunity to achieve it “may be passing.” But was it ever possible? Is any solution possible? Or has a two-state solution already been achieved, without many people realizing it? Find out here.
A group of Canadian supporters of Israel recently met to form a new organization, "Canadians for Balfour 100." Canadians for Balfour 100 is not a political lobby. Its goal is to educate the general public, especially students in our schools, colleges and universities. Irving Weisdorf contends: "We believe it is our duty to stand firm, to defend those rights and to share the true story of the rise of Israel since the Declaration was first announced, almost one hundred years ago." Click here to read the full Letter of Intent.
Distinguished experts in international law have been tapped by the Legal Grounds Campaign in Jerusalem, to teach a course to a select group of students in law and international relations on the legal rights of the State of Israel in Judea and Samaria. The course, a brand-new initiative, has been named in memory of Torontonian Salomon Benzimra, co-founder of Canadians for Israel’s Legal Rights, who passed away on a return flight from Israel last month. Click here for the full story on CIJ News. Click here to read the full article.
The author states that UN Security Council 2334, which branded as illegal Israel’s presence beyond the 1949 armistice line, is itself illegal. Her essay rebuts arguments put forward in a letter to her by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Former Israeli ambassador Alan Baker responds. Read it all here.
Great Britain will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the issuing of the Balfour Declaration in November of 2017, and Theresa May has invited Benjamin Netanyahu to join the festivities. Full story.
Israel has been reluctant to defend itself on the public relations front, and its international reputation has suffered as a result. That must change, and educating people about the history of the region is the first step in making that change. Read more.
The Balfour Declaration reflected the desire to establish self-rule in nation states, as did the formation of new countries in other parts of former empires. Read more.
The first official state visit to Israel by a member of the royal family will take place this year, according to British media reports. It would commemorate the 100th anniversary of the issuing of the Balfour Declaration. Reuven Rivlin, President of Israel, extended the invitation via British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who was in Israel in early March. Read more.
Did the Balfour Declaration have the force of law behind it when it was issued? What is its legal status today? These questions have been raised as part of a campaign to discredit the Declaration. Legal scholar Alan Baker explains why the Balfour Declaration had legal merit when it was proclaimed, a century ago, and how its legal status gained international authority in subsequent decades. Read more.
The frequently expressed belief that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law is contradicted by the simplest and most logical reading of the relevant documents, a newly published paper states. Read more.
The Grand Mufti’s war against Zionism took its deadly inspiration from Nazism and Islamism. Read more.
Allenby’s respect for the Indian soldiers can be seen in his receiving their salute as they marched past him outside of Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem on December 11, 1917, when Allenby entered the city. Read more.
Ambassador Alan Baker writes a compelling piece for The Jerusalem Center of Public Affairs, outlining the political, historical, and religious reasons to analyze the character of the Jews as perhaps one of the oldest indigenous peoples who remain a distinct people and to consider the nature and implications of such distinctness in the practical realities of today’s international community. Read more.
UK Cabinet Minister Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, adds his voice in no uncertain terms to supporters of the Balfour Declaration, which includes among others, British PM Teresa May. Stating: the UK Will Celebrate 100th Anniversary of Balfour Declaration ‘With Pride’, Giving the lie to those intent on denying Israel’s legitimacy. He also took a strong stand against the BDS campaign, saying “it is most notable I think, for its lack of success.” Read more.
In 1937, an official British report first proposed the partition of Mandate Palestine. The story behind it helps to explain why the Arab-Jewish conflict remains unresolved. This is a historic saga featuring six extraordinary figures - 3 on the Zionist side and 3 on the Arab side. Read more.
UK Environment Secretary says criticism of the Jewish state equates to racism, during keynote address to 500 guests at pro-Israel reception. Also present in the room were Communities Minister Sajid Javid, Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Rory Stewart, together with former minister Sir Eric Pickles. Read more.
Simon Plosker from Honest Reporting provides an overview of updates on the 100th Anniversary of The Balfour Declaration in the UK, including the official commemoration by the British Government, comments from a descendant of the recipient of the letter, and analysis of some of the negative press from The guardian and from the official Palestinian representative to the UK. Read more.
The Balfour Declaration didn’t change the world, or even the British, Caroline Glick believes. Its significance is that it changed the Jews. For the first time in centuries, Jews had reason to believe that the reconstitution of Israel could happen in their lifetime. Read more.
This week, people around the world are marking the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a letter issued by Britain's former foreign secretary, Arthur Balfour, on November 2, 1917. Here are some key images from the era of the Balfour Declaration. Read more.
Melanie Phillips analyzes the antisemitism in UK's Labour Party around the upcoming Balfour dinner in London, England, at which Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will be attending. She offers insights into the leadership of the Labour Party, and also reviews the public comments of Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry. Read more.
Speaking in London to mark one century since the Balfour Declaration was issued calling for the establishment of a Jewish state, the Israeli prime minister hailed the blossoming UK-Israel alliance and urged the Palestinians to finally recognize the Jewish state. Read more.
Henry Kissinger, Former Secretary of State, says the Balfour Declaration is of historical importance as it became the founding document of an emerging new world order. "Its importance resides not only in establishing a homeland for a people, but in contributing to peace in the world and hope for mankind”. Read more.