December 2017 Philadelphia Chapter of Pax Christi U.S.A.
November 2, 2017 marked the one-hundredth anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, laying the foundations for the modern state of Israel and inaugurating a century of suffering for Palestinians. Will anything change in the next one hundred years?
Toward the end of the “Great War” British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour wrote 67 words that changed the course of history:
“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.”
Balfour was good news for European Jews. However, the declaration referenced the existing inhabitants of Palestine only as what they were not (non-Jewish communities), despite the fact that they constituted 94% of the population. And while this majority population was accorded “civil and religious rights” they were not promised political rights.
While making this overture to European Jews, Britain was simultaneously making agreements with other players. They had already secretly agreed with the French on how to divide the spoils of war (including the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East) if the Allies emerged victorious. At the same time, Britain was enlisting Arab support in the fight against the Ottomans by promising Middle Eastern leaders a post-war, independent, pan-Arab state.
Together, these three promises were mutually contradictory.
From our vantage point of history, it’s easy to recognize the mixed motives of Britain’s plan. The proposal of a Jewish homeland hardly sprang from a heart-felt desire to assist a persecuted group in Europe; it was more likely a reflection of Britain’s geo-political interests (maintaining global dominance) and cultural biases (e.g., removing Jews from Europe).
The pronouncement is based on an unjust premise. In a brazen move of geo-politics, Britain, the world’s greatest power, ceded a land that it did not possess, to a people not living there, without consulting the people who did live there. The major themes are evident: empire (with its unabashed political chess playing and colonizing) and exceptionalism (a belief in its racial and cultural superiority and impunity). Empire and exceptionalism – two sides of the same coin.
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One hundred years later, how have Balfour’s words unfolded?
On the one hand, for “the Jewish people” whom Balfour addressed, the envisioned “national homeland” came to fruition. Israel is today a well-established nation-state – a liberal democracy with a vibrant culture, hi-tech economy and superior military strength. On the other hand, for Palestinians, the unnamed “existing non-Jewish communities” whom Balfour disparaged, it has been a Nakba, an unmitigated catastrophe.
In June 2017, The National Coalition of Christian Organizations in Palestine wrote an open letter to the World Council of Churches. The agony of these Palestinian leaders is evident in their unvarnished words:
“[W]e are still suffering from 100 years of injustice and oppression, beginning with the unjust and unlawful Balfour declaration, intensified through the Nakba and the influx of refugees, followed by the Israeli occupation of
the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, the fragmentation of our people and our land through policies of isolation and confiscation of land, and the building of Jewish-only settlements and the Apartheid Wall. …
[W]ith thousands of lives lost, towns and villages razed from the face of the earth … millions of refugees, thousands of homes demolished and continued incarceration of prisoners, our Nakba goes on. … Discrimination and inequality, military occupation and systematic oppression are the rule. … Palestinians are still
yearning for their freedom and independence, and seeking justice and equality. … Things are beyond urgent. We are on the verge of catastrophic collapse.”
Israel has occupied the Palestinian Territories for fifty years. The construction of settlements continues unabated. Gaza is under blockade, creating a humanitarian crisis. An elaborate system of walls, check points and permits restricts the daily movement of Palestinians, causing economic strangulation. International law and respect for human rights are daily flouted. Political diplomacy has been an abject failure.
After one hundred years of injustice, what can be done today to address the reality that Balfour unleashed?
Two observations will help. First, the problem is not just “back then.” Indeed, empire and exceptionalism are alive and well today. The United States has replaced Britain as the world’s super-power, often acting with a similar sense of superiority. Second, the problem is not just “over there.” The U.S. is fully engaged in perpetuating the injustice – joined at the hip with Israel in predilections, policy and practice. The parallels are numerous: the “chosen people” of the Middle East and the “manifest destiny” of America; settlements built in the West Bank and a pipeline built on the Sioux reservation in North Dakota; IDF violence against Palestinians in Hebron and police violence against African-Americans in U.S cities; a separation wall to keep out Palestinians and a border wall to keep out Mexicans.
Moreover, these myriad issues intersect with each other: imperialism, settler colonialism, occupied territories, military might, gun violence, chosen-ness, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, political Zionism, Christian Zionism, immigration policy, and economic exploitation are all cut from same cloth – the deeply embedded belief that one group is superior to another.
For those of us committed to a just peace in Palestine-Israel, how can we respond? Here are some suggestions.
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Recognize and name empire and exceptionalism, colonialism and chosen-ness.
Speak out in support of international law and multilateralism. Reject the unilateral geo-politics of world powers.
Re-examine our theology. Denounce its traits of exceptionalism – superiority of one way or one gender or one people over another. Emphasize its message of liberation and justice for all people.
Engage in nonviolent civil action. Support BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) and oppose anti-BDS legislation that has already passed in over 20 states.
Acknowledge the intersectional nature of the issues. Join with activists who are engaged in related struggles for justice.
Visit Palestine-Israel. Go and see for yourself.
Will the Balfour Declaration continue to impose its injustice for another hundred years? This will be up to us.
Wini Wolff
Board Member, Friends of Sabeel – North America
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