Doha: Al-Watan newspaper, in a recent editorial titled “The Ominous Promise,” has highlighted the significant historical and ongoing consequences of the Balfour Declaration, issued on November 2, 1917. The letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Lord Lionel Rothschild, which promised the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, is described as the initial step by Western powers to create a Jewish entity on Palestinian land. This commitment by the British government is portrayed as the root cause of subsequent regional conflicts, including the latest acts of aggression in Gaza, the occupied Palestinian territories, and Lebanon.
According to Qatar News Agency, the editorial argues that the Balfour Declaration is not just a historical event but continues to affect the present-day situation in Palestine. Despite Balfour’s assurances that Britain would protect the rights of other nationalities residing in Palestine, the editorial asserts that Britain failed to uphold this promise. Durin
g its occupation from 1917 to 1948, Britain facilitated the immigration of Jews from around the world, organizing and supporting them to establish the State of Israel, which left the Palestinian people as refugees on their land and around the world.
The editorial notes that the recent anniversary of the Balfour Declaration serves as a reminder of the ongoing conflict against the Palestinian people. It calls for a new type of intervention from the international community that would focus on recognizing the legitimate rights of Palestinians, including the creation of an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Without such efforts, the editorial concludes, the situation will only result in further losses for the Palestinian people, who have already been deprived of their rights due to the Balfour Declaration.