The Palestinian tragedy has often seemed like an endless cycle, each time worsening in its denial of this people’s basic rights. In November 1917, the United Kingdom officially declared its support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” This was written in the Balfour Declaration, named after the British foreign minister. The Arab population, who at the time made up more than 90% of the inhabitants, was mentioned only in passing, reduced to “non-Jewish communities” whose “civil and religious rights” alone were to be respected.
On October 13, President Donald Trump hailed before the Israeli Parliament “the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” “the end of an age of terror and death” and the “start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon be a truly magnificent region.” In this speech, which lasted over an hour, Palestinians were mentioned only twice: First to announce, to them and the Israelis alike, the end of their “nightmare” and then to urge them to “turn forever from the path of terror and violence.”
The parallels between these two events are striking. In both cases, genuine negotiations were held only with the Zionist leadership, then the Israeli government. The terms of the Balfour Declaration were as fiercely debated in London with one side in 1917 as those of Trump’s peace plan were with the other this fall, with the Palestinian side each time presented with a fait accompli. After World War I, the League of Nations incorporated the entirety of the Balfour Declaration into the mandate it granted the UK over Palestine.
An international blank check
On October 13, President Trump arrived from Israel, four hours late, to the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where about 20 Arab, Muslim and European leaders awaited him. After the repeated ovations in Jerusalem, Trump’s main goal was to secure the symbolic support of his counterparts gathered around him. He then signed his plan for Gaza alongside the Egyptian and Turkish presidents, as well as the Emir of Qatar.
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Fonte: Le Monde
