OPINION

Hikmat Ajjuri

The International Law and the International Humanitarian Law are bylaws delivered from the womb of human values to protect mankind and human infrastructure. Democracy and Human Rights are known to be the tools to enforce these by-laws and, unless these tools are maintained sound and healthy, the jungle law prevails.

Terrorism, which is striking everywhere these days, is a culmination of our failure to maintain those enforcement tools of the mentioned by-laws.

This failure expresses itself every day, in different forms, but the most shameful form is being locally democratic, while abroad being an alliance with dictators and oppressors such as Israel the occupying power.

On the 2^nd of November, 99 years ago, James Balfour, then British Foreign Minister, promised the Zionists in the name of his government, to create a national home for the Jews in Palestine. This unlawful promise, also known as the Balfour Declaration, had until the creation of Israel in 1948, encouraged Jews to emigrate from an anti-Semitic environment in Europe to what consequently became an apartheid environment in Israel.

Because the Balfour promise was materialized on the expense of the indigenous inhabitants of Palestine, by another unlawful resolution by the UN Organization. When in November 1947, this organization passed its resolution number 181, to partition of Historic Palestine. In fact this resolution was the first breach of the UN charter which forbids the UN to assign any land to anyone unless is agreed by the indigenous people of the land. Let alone when it has assigned 56% of the land to 30% of the population, overwhelming majority of them were immigrants fled from Europe.

In 1918-1919 an American congressional delegation, advised against the implementation of the Balfour Declaration because of the overwhelming force its implementation needs against the indigenous population.

The Americans were right and the outcome of its implementation in 1948 was a catastrophe, 800.000 of the indigenous Palestinian people had been forcibly expelled, 500 of their villages were wiped off the map, in addition to thousands killed and injured at the hands of the Zionists gangs.

Consequent to this catastrophe, (Nakba), Israel declared itself, a state on 78% of Historic Palestine, 22% more than what was assigned to them by the UN. Consequently, Israel since then became a constant source of conflict and violence until today.

Despite this historic injustice inflicted on the Palestinians, they have, in 1988, recognized the right of Israel to exist on 78% of Historic Palestine. This recognition is endorsed by every state of the International Community except Israel, the occupying power.

This irresponsible and arrogant behaviour by Israel coupled with its wild practices on the ground against the Palestinian people under its occupation is an utter defiance of the International Law, together have contributed tremendously to the current worldwide terror. This linkage to terror was asserted by many world leaders including American President.

On conclusion, the Palestinians in return for the injustice inflicted on them over the past 99 years, the least they expect from Britain, the country of the Mandate and a beacon of human rights and democracy, is to rectify some of the damage done by her former Foreign Minister, to fully recognize the State of Palestine side by side with the State of Israel.

Britain by doing so, will not only encourage other states to follow suit, and will contribute tremendously to drying up a great deal of resources of terror which is killing innocent people everywhere allegedly in the name of justice.

first appeared on 05.11.2016: https://www.publico.pt/mundo/noticia/balfour-uma-declaracao-ou-uma-destruicao-1749966