Balfour was an anti-semite

Submitted by Neil (Netherlands), Jun 3, 2009 at 14:35

The man responsible for the (re)-patriation of Jewish settlers in Israel was a bigot who simply wanted rid of Jewish communities in the UK and Europe. If partisans (either Jewish or Muslim) want to try to present a one-sided view of history to justify their diatribe, they better hope that no educated, independent thinkers come across their polemic. The people you are talking about here (the last generation of British imperialists) were two-faced and deceitful (and, as an English man, I have no problem in highlighting the terrible record of my countrymen during this phase in history), promising Muslims complete control of their Palestinian homeland (which at that time was under British rule) as reward for Arab military opposition to the Ottoman Turks (and the German reich) during the first world war.

This was in direct contravention of the Balfour declaration. They cared no more for the Zionists than they did for the Arabs. The Brits were only concerned with political expedience. In order for people in the region to come to some sort of understanding, these historical facts need to be laid bare. It is something everyone in the region has in common: they were all sc&$£ed by (British) imperialism. Once this, and the fact that Palestinians have a legitimate claim to the area, is understood and accepted, alot of the political shenanigans surrounding the issue can be seen for what it is: empty and divisive.

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