Why Does Balfour Matter?
By Yaffa Abadi
Balfour Declaration- While we try battle Israel’s greatest enemy of today, the global media battle, we must look back and celebrate the Balfour declaration. The first supportive public opinion that MATTERED.
Why does Balfour matter?
Why should we spend time and effort commemorating a document that was written nearly a hundred years ago?
It is easy to see that today, Israel’s worst battle is not happening on the ground, man against man. Rather, it is facing a battle of far more epic proportions- The global media battle with those who try their very best, whether straightforwardly or with underlying messages, to denounce the legitimacy of our Jewish Homeland.
We see it every day. Whether it is the BBC’s headlines that constantly try to manipulate the media into making Israel the bad guy1, the condemnation after condemnation passed against Israel by the U.N2, or the College students on campuses around the world rallying against Israel, comparing it to an ‘Apartheid State’. 3
This vile monster of propaganda which fuels public opinion against israel; this is Israel’s main enemy of today.
Zooming out on the reality we face today, looking back exactly a hundred years ago, we find the Balfour Declaration. The iconic letter sent by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild in which he expressed support for a Jewish State in the land of Palestine.
This was the first public recognition by a world power of both a potential rebirth of the national home for the Jewish people, and their historical link to the land of Israel.
People may argue that in reality, despite the Balfour Declaration , Britain did very little practically to secure a Jewish State. However, like we see happening today, the biggest enemy we face is public opinion. And that is exactly what the Balfour Declaration gave us: a very powerful, very direct public opinion which fully supported the State of Israel.
The Balfour Initiative by the Israel Forever Foundation presents ‘1 Million Signatures for Balfour: Herzl’s Legacy Coming to Life’. Take part in the petition, Sign your name, and become an active soldier for the Zionist endeavors of the past, present and future.
Through highlighting, commemorating, and celebrating the hundred year anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, we have the ability to remind the international community of their past commitments to the State, to remind ourselves of the victory that we have achieved over the century with the establishment and development of our homeland, and to remember our long fight for the land while continuously fighting to be accepted fully as a State with the rights to protect ourselves and ensure our continuation.
This is why we celebrate Balfour.
Recommended for you:
Jewish rights to our ancestral homeland are unassailable. Learn about the Balfour Declaration as a symbol of Jewish legal rights and an important milestone to sovereignty in the Jewish homeland.
About the Author
