Why Abbas is Demanding an Apology From Britain Over The Balfour Declaration

Consider for a moment what Mahmoud Abbas, whose term as Palestinian Authority President expired a decade ago, said yesterday at the UN General Assembly:


We ask Great Britain, as we approach 100 years since this infamous declaration, to draw the necessary lessons and to bear its historic, legal, political, material and moral responsibility for the consequences of this declaration, including an apology to the Palestinian people for the catastrophes, misery and injustice this declaration created and to act to rectify these disasters and remedy its consequences, including by the recognition of the state of Palestine. This is the least Great Britain can do.


The declaration in question is The Balfour Declaration which was written in November 1917 by Arthur Balfour, a former British Prime Minister who by this time was its Minister of Foreign Affairs. Balfour wrote to Baron Rothschild his support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the territory known as Palestine which came under British control after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Balfour writes to Rothschild:


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.


Thirty years later, another World War and six million dead Jews, came the UN Partition Plan which established a Jewish homeland while respecting the civil and religious rights of non-Jews with the establishment of an Arab state. The Jews accepted while the Arabs said no whereupon Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi forces immediately invaded the new state of Israel and the War of Independence was on.


Mind you at the very same forum, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Abbas to address the Knesset. So while Bibi invites Abbas to his address his country's parliament, by invoking The Balfour Declaration Abbas makes clear he opposes the very idea of a Jewish homeland. Yet President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump see fit to take Israel to task for being unwilling to make peace. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.


Of course, part of this is grandstanding on Abbas' part. The Palestinian Authority is a basket case. All he can do to ensure his political survival is to blame the Jews. On the other hand, the Palestinians really do hate the Jews and if they can't put them in gas chambers they are content to wantonly stabbing, shooting or running them over with their vehicles.


Honestly, I don't think Britain will play into Abbas' game unless, of course, Jeremy Corbyn were elected Prime Minister. Then all bets are off. Although at this point Corbyn has as much chance of beating Theresa May as Michael Foot did of ousting Margaret Thatcher.


But the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration is yet another opportunity for the Palestinians and their apologists to delegitimize Israel.