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Balfour 100
Nov. 2nd, 2017 10:33 amToday is anniversary of the Balfour Declaration that lead to the re-establishing of the state of Israel. It was the major step for the dreamers on the road lasted two thousands years.
The first country in modern time to call for creation of Israel was France, whose general (and future emperor) Napoleon in 1799 issued a letter offering Palestine as a homeland to the Jews (under French protection, of course). It started: "Israelites, unique nation, whom, in thousands of years, lust of conquest and tyranny have been able to be deprived of their ancestral lands, but not of name and national existence !" But Napoleon soon was defeated and history was sleeping on this project for another 100 years. Now it was Great Britain's (who defeated Napoleon) turn.
On November 2, 1917 British government declared support for establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine (still at this time under Ottoman rule). This letter of official sympathy was sent to Lord Rothschild.
In a year, January 3, 1919 another agreement between Dr. Weizmann (future first president of Israel) and Emir Faisal was signed. But if the first one was partially implemented, the second one, unfortunately, not.
The Faisal-Weizmann Agreement was truly a brilliant concept. Emir Faisal, a Hashemite Bedouin, son of Hussein, Sherif of Mecca, had been allied with the British in seeking the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire. Faisal was a visionary that understood that were the Arabs to gain independence, they would have to form nation-states along the model of Western Europe.
He also understood that these new Arab States would never be able to compete, economically and militarily with European States; and that the only way for an Arab State to do so would be to subordinate itself to a European power - either as a colony or protectorate.
Faisal foresaw that allowing Europeans to gain control over the Arab States would set the stage to dependency on Europe and inevitable strife among the Arab States as a reflection of the power contests between and among the European powers (in his world, he would have presumed that as France and England fought, so would Arab States in the French sphere be forced into conflict with those in the English sphere).
This created an insoluble Catch-22...until Zionism emerged on the scene. Suddenly a new path to modernization without the inevitable baggage of European Colonialism and neo-Imperialism emerged. The Semitic Arabs of the East could benefit from the knowledge and experience of their Semitic cousins of the West. Jews could assist in guiding the Arabs towards modernization, industrialization and urbanization without the fear of domination. In turn, Jews would find a “family” a set of natural allies that would provide them with the security they so desperately needed.
Thus, Zionism and Arab Nationalism far from being mutually contradictory ideologies, were originally viewed by the Emir Faisal and Chaim Weizmann, future first President of Israel, as mutually reinforcing.
However, in a handwritten note, the agreement was made contingent by Feisal upon fulfillment by the British of their promises to Feisal. Namely, the "Arab State" that would be formed, would include Syria. The British however, were bound by the promises they had made to France in the 1916: Sykes-Picot Agreement. Syria became a French mandate and Feisal was made king of Iraq instead (and with aspiration to have Syria under his rule). Subsequently, a spokesman for Feisal announced that "His majesty does not remember having written anything of that kind with his knowledge." He didn't said, that it didn't happen, just sudden lost of memory. Poor king, bloody dementia, you know. After becoming a king Feisal was opposing creation of Jewish state, recognizing Balfour declaration only in the part of allowing Jewish immigration to Arab states (where he or his brother were a Kings).
Also, unfortunately, the fanatical Saudi tribe with their Wahabi ideology overthrew the moderate Hashemite tribe and took over Arabia (hence, Saudi Arabia). Emir Faisal’s vision (as of 1919) of the future of the Arab Middle East disappeared.
The Europeans DID take control over the creation of Arab States under their own domination, they drew the map of the modern Middle East, Arabs and Israelis found themselves pitted together in mirror image of the conflicts between the US and Capitalist West and the Soviet Union and Communist East, Arab States never truly modernized and Israel still finds itself deprived of the security it requires. Arab Nationalism and Zionism are now in conflict – and the wonderful vision of peace, cooperation and prosperity that Faisal and Weizmann had has been turned into the nightmare that is the Middle East today. Nevertheless, Israel was re-born, in good shape, economy is booming, her military is strong and has respect from friends and enemies (could not say the same for Iraq and Syria).
The first country in modern time to call for creation of Israel was France, whose general (and future emperor) Napoleon in 1799 issued a letter offering Palestine as a homeland to the Jews (under French protection, of course). It started: "Israelites, unique nation, whom, in thousands of years, lust of conquest and tyranny have been able to be deprived of their ancestral lands, but not of name and national existence !" But Napoleon soon was defeated and history was sleeping on this project for another 100 years. Now it was Great Britain's (who defeated Napoleon) turn.
On November 2, 1917 British government declared support for establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine (still at this time under Ottoman rule). This letter of official sympathy was sent to Lord Rothschild.
In a year, January 3, 1919 another agreement between Dr. Weizmann (future first president of Israel) and Emir Faisal was signed. But if the first one was partially implemented, the second one, unfortunately, not.
The Faisal-Weizmann Agreement was truly a brilliant concept. Emir Faisal, a Hashemite Bedouin, son of Hussein, Sherif of Mecca, had been allied with the British in seeking the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire. Faisal was a visionary that understood that were the Arabs to gain independence, they would have to form nation-states along the model of Western Europe.
He also understood that these new Arab States would never be able to compete, economically and militarily with European States; and that the only way for an Arab State to do so would be to subordinate itself to a European power - either as a colony or protectorate.
Faisal foresaw that allowing Europeans to gain control over the Arab States would set the stage to dependency on Europe and inevitable strife among the Arab States as a reflection of the power contests between and among the European powers (in his world, he would have presumed that as France and England fought, so would Arab States in the French sphere be forced into conflict with those in the English sphere).
This created an insoluble Catch-22...until Zionism emerged on the scene. Suddenly a new path to modernization without the inevitable baggage of European Colonialism and neo-Imperialism emerged. The Semitic Arabs of the East could benefit from the knowledge and experience of their Semitic cousins of the West. Jews could assist in guiding the Arabs towards modernization, industrialization and urbanization without the fear of domination. In turn, Jews would find a “family” a set of natural allies that would provide them with the security they so desperately needed.
Thus, Zionism and Arab Nationalism far from being mutually contradictory ideologies, were originally viewed by the Emir Faisal and Chaim Weizmann, future first President of Israel, as mutually reinforcing.
However, in a handwritten note, the agreement was made contingent by Feisal upon fulfillment by the British of their promises to Feisal. Namely, the "Arab State" that would be formed, would include Syria. The British however, were bound by the promises they had made to France in the 1916: Sykes-Picot Agreement. Syria became a French mandate and Feisal was made king of Iraq instead (and with aspiration to have Syria under his rule). Subsequently, a spokesman for Feisal announced that "His majesty does not remember having written anything of that kind with his knowledge." He didn't said, that it didn't happen, just sudden lost of memory. Poor king, bloody dementia, you know. After becoming a king Feisal was opposing creation of Jewish state, recognizing Balfour declaration only in the part of allowing Jewish immigration to Arab states (where he or his brother were a Kings).
Also, unfortunately, the fanatical Saudi tribe with their Wahabi ideology overthrew the moderate Hashemite tribe and took over Arabia (hence, Saudi Arabia). Emir Faisal’s vision (as of 1919) of the future of the Arab Middle East disappeared.
The Europeans DID take control over the creation of Arab States under their own domination, they drew the map of the modern Middle East, Arabs and Israelis found themselves pitted together in mirror image of the conflicts between the US and Capitalist West and the Soviet Union and Communist East, Arab States never truly modernized and Israel still finds itself deprived of the security it requires. Arab Nationalism and Zionism are now in conflict – and the wonderful vision of peace, cooperation and prosperity that Faisal and Weizmann had has been turned into the nightmare that is the Middle East today. Nevertheless, Israel was re-born, in good shape, economy is booming, her military is strong and has respect from friends and enemies (could not say the same for Iraq and Syria).
