Palestine, Back to the Future
By Ted Belman
There was a time when the lands now known as Israel, (including Judea and Samaria and Gaza), and most of Jordan were called “Palestine”. In fact, the Balfour Declaration of 1917 declared
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“His Majesty’s government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”.
There followed considerable cooperation between the Jews, represented by Chaim Weizmann and the Arabs living in Mesopotamia, now Iraq, and Jordan, represented by Emir Feisal. As a result, the Feisal-Weizmann Agreement was signed in January 1919, in which it was agreed that the Jews would get the lands lying west of the Jordan River watershed to the Mediterranean and the Arabs would get the land east of it.
Two months later Faisal wrote to Felix Frankfuter, the then leader of the American Zionists, extending a welcome:
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“We Arabs, especially the educated among us look with the deepest sympathy on the Zionist movement. Our deputation here in Paris is fully acquainted with the proposals submitted yesterday by the Zionist Organisation to Peace Conference, and we regard them as moderate proper. We will do our best, in so far as we are concerned, to help them through: we will wish the Jews a most hearty welcome home.”
Unfortunately that initial agreement and embrace were overtaken by events. The British and the French had other plans.
Finally in 1920, the allied powers, Britain, France, Italy and Japan adopted the San Remo Resolution in evidence of their agreement
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“The High Contracting Parties agree to entrust, by application of the provisions of Article 22, [Covenant of League of Nations ] the administration of Palestine, within such boundaries as may be determined by the Principal Allied Powers, to a Mandatory, to be selected by the said Powers. The Mandatory will be responsible for putting into effect the declaration originally made on November 8, 1917, by the British Government, and adopted by the other Allied Powers, in favour of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,”
This agreement was binding in international law as these powers had the right to dispose of these lands.
What remained was for the League of Nations to draw up the Palestine Mandate. Originally, the boundaries of Palestine included what is now Jordan, but a few months prior to the Palestine Mandate being confirmed by the Council of League of Nations on July 1922, the Jews were told that they must consent to the removal of Transjordan from the Jewish homeland if they wished the Mandate to be passed. And so they did, under duress. And so was born Article 25 of the Mandate:
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“In the territories lying between the Jordan [river] and the eastern boundary of Palestine as ultimately determined, the Mandatory shall be entitled, with the consent of the Council of the League of Nations, to postpone or withhold application of such provisions of this mandate as he may consider inapplicable to the existing local conditions, and to make such provision for the administration of the territories as he may consider suitable to those conditions”
Pursuant to this paragraph, Britain severed all lands lying east of the Jordan River from the Palestine Mandate and gave the lands to the Hashemites. It was first renamed Trans-Jordan and then just Jordan,
When the League of Nations was replaced by the United Nations in 1945, the Charter of the United Nations described “Mandates” as “Trusteeships” and specifically included in Article 80, the following,
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“…nothing in this Chapter shall be construed in or of itself to alter in any manner the rights whatsoever of any states or any peoples or the terms of existing international instruments to which Members of the United Nations may respectively be parties.”
in order to preserve the rights the Jews had acquired under the League of Nations.
There followed many White Papers, resolutions, wars and peace processes, all designed to erode Jewish rights to the land described in the Palestine Mandate, all to no avail, For all intents and purposes, the peace process is dead and Abu Mazen, otherwise known as Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the PA, has been refusing to negotiate for the last three years.
This futile effort has resulted in a search for alternate solutions. Newt Gingrich went public with his newsworthy statement “”We’ve had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community,”. Gov Romney did him one better and said “It’s the Palestinians who don’t want a two-state solution; they want to eliminate the State of Israel,” Didn’t they know that in our PC world, one is not supposed to declare that the Emperor has no clothes. The fiction underlying the failed peace process is more important than the truth.
Just a couple of weeks ago the Republican National Committee passed a resolution providing that “.. peace can be afforded the region only through a united Israel governed under one law for all people.”
The Florida Senate just filed a similar resolution with some important changes. It was preceded by these recitals, inter alia:
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“WHEREAS, the legal basis for the establishment of the State of Israel was a binding resolution under international law, which was unanimously adopted by the League of Nations in 1922 and subsequently affirmed by both houses of the United States Congress, and
“WHEREAS, this resolution affirmed the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in the historical region of the Land of Israel, including areas of Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, “
In it, the Members of the Senate affirmed that they
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“support Israel in its legal, historical, moral, and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense upon the entirety of its own lands, recognizing that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others, and that peace can be afforded the region only through a whole and united Israel governed under one law for all people”.
Of particular interest is the fact that the Florida Senate is affirming that the San Remo Resolution was a binding resolution, under international law, for the legal basis for the establishment of the State of Israel. This flies in the face of all attempts by the international community to deny Israel those rights by asserting their interpretation of the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention as making the settlements, or the “occupation”, illegal. It does no such thing. Nor has anything else, since the Mandate in 1922, derogated from such rights. Futhermore, UN Res 181 , which was the basis of the Partition Plan, was a recommendation only. Also SC Res 242 didn’t contradict the original rights of the Jews.
This resolution is expected to pass and also to be incorporated into the Republican Party platform.
If not the two-state solution, then what?
The “Jordan is Palestine” solution has been mooted for decades. It is now gaining traction due in part to the Arab Spring which began a year ago. Jordan now is feeling the tremors. The majority of Palestinian leaders in Jordan, favour Jordan becoming a democratic/secular state. They have watched in dismay as similar forces in Egypt were overwhelmed by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists. They are determined not to share their fate. They are lead by Mudar Zahran the author of Jordan’s King and the Muslim Brotherhood: An Unholy Marriage.
Zahran in his ground-breaking article, “Jordan is Palestine” published by Middle East Forum in December 2011, argues:
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“Empowering Palestinian control of Jordan and giving Palestinians all over the world a place they can call home could not only defuse the population and demographic problem for Palestinians in Judea and Samaria but would also solve the much more complicated issue of the “right of return” for Palestinians in other Arab countries. Approximately a million Palestinian refugees and their descendants live in Syria and Lebanon, with another 300,000 in Jordan whom the Hashemite government still refuses to accept as citizens. How much better could their future look if there were a welcoming Palestinian Jordan?
“The Jordanian option seems the best possible and most viable solution to date. Decades of peace talks and billions of dollars invested by the international community have only brought more pain and suffering for both Palestinians and Israelis—alongside prosperity and wealth for the Hashemites and their cronies.”
The rationality and achievability of this solution, needs no elucidation. It only needs the US to get behind it. While such an initiative by the US would be a departure from the position it has held since the founding of the State of Israel, it would not be a departure from her original position. As noted in the proposed Florida Senate resolution mentioned above, such a position was “affirmed by both houses of the United States Congress,” in 1922. These resolutions unanimously endorsed the “Mandate for Palestine,” confirming the irrevocable right of Jews to settle in the area of Palestine – anywhere between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”
And Zahran’s brave stance in which he wants the new Jordan, governed by Palestinians, to embrace Israel in true friendship, is also not new or novel. It is a return to Emir Feisal’s warm embrace of the Jews in 1919.
Thus we are returning to our future.
Jerry Gordan who is the Editor of the New English Review, posted my article with this preface.
Stupid Jews, actually believed the British and the nations of the World. Nothing has changed since.
Statement of the Zionist Organization regarding Palestine.
Third day of February Nineteen hundred and nineteen
Third day of Adar Five thousand six hundred and seventy nine.
Proposals to be presented to the Peace Conference. Read full document Here
See Proposed Map by the Zionists Here
Pls retrieve my comment that was botted.
Gordan – like everyone of his (intelligentsia) ilk – still doesn’t get it in a fundamental sense…
There is no if. The whole premise is pie in the sky delusional.
There is only one way to end the Palis-Israel conflict and that is to utterly and devastatingly defeat them in battle which forces those who will not leave voluntarily to leave one way or another.
A Palis takeover of Jordan will guarantee that it becomes a Super Gaza, with a long border with Israel and a modern well trained military. Such a palis controlled Jordan will catapult them into an existential threat to Israel.
The Palis must therefore be decimated in battle so severe they cannot recover to be a threat to Israel in the future. Economic well being for them has always taken a voluntary back seat to anti-Israel activities.
Despite your pen pal’s assertions, I kinda doubt he would last 5 min if he were to return to the region nor would anyone like him. That said the Palis have the numbers and can probably dethrone the Little king whenever they choose. King Hussein butchered over 20,000 of them when they became a threat to him and his throne. They haven’t challenged him or his son seriously since, till now.
Hussein’s treatment of the Palis should at least be our guide and model for dealing with the Palis. today.
I agree with you, but also what would prevent Jordan from taking Judea and Samaria once she is a Pali state?
The only good thing Jordan as Palestine does is takes the Pali “humanitarian” crises element out of the picture, with Jordan being a safe haven for Palis. Also how do the MB feel about this idea?
Why benefit does any Jordanian have by supporting a Jordan is Palestine state? What does the jrdanian average citizen get out of it? More immigrants to crowd them out and make life more miserable?? I wholeheartedly understand what Israel gets out of the deal, but Ii don’t understand what is gained by the Jordanians. Also it is cheap for them to hate Jews- that is the Arab mentality and MO. Why should they change? What are the Benefits? If its democracy, why can’t that be delivered now, before Jordan is Palestine. After all, the country is almost 80 percent Palis now.
As I addressed Yamit, if a Pali state is created, what is to prevent it from waging war for the rest of the land in Judea and Samaria. Also, who says Mudar or his new party will stay loyal to Israel when every Arab state in the MIDDLE EAST is aligned against her, for political and ideological reasons. Jordan has always been the weak link, who in the end, betrays Israel in war when the opportunity presents itself. All arab leaders are sworn enemies of Israel, and if they want political support or membership in their Arab brotherhood, they have to stay the arab party line. They gain nothing from a alliance with Israel. Also, what about the Muslim Brotherhood , and their role in governance in Jordan. They could become powerful like they did in Egypt.
The Palestinians in Jordan don’t like the Israelis but even more so, they hate Abdullah and the Muslim Brotherhood. If you read Mudar’s Jordan is Palestine and Jordan’s King and the Muslim Brotherhood: An Unholy Marriage. you will better understand where he is coming from. You may reject the fact’s and arguments he relies on and makes but you rely on experience in general without any specifics to this situation.
All the Palestinians leaders in Jordan would rather be partners with Israel than subjugated and discriminated by Abdullah. They are pursuing their interests by aligning with Israel. Without Israel they can’t come to power. They like the idea of an economic partnership and their own country. Until such time as you read those two articles slowly and demonstrate an understanding of what drives this deal, there is no sense in talking about it.
Great ideas rarely translate into reality. Those who recognize that any group that has adopted an Arab-Palestinian identity by choice and clings to it despite evidence that there is no such race or ethnicity is beyond the hope of rational relations – at least for the present and near future. Subsequent generations may become more rational but it is a false illusion and a dangerous one.
Those who see themselves as Arabs must get themselves to an Arab land and those who see themselves as Palestinians will always be Israel’s enemy no matter how agreements are cloaked in duplicitous language. The lie begins with the notion of Palestinian refugees and from there all else that follows is a deception and will create more problems if that initial lie is accepted into another layer of complexity.
Jordanians – whoever they really are for they migrated in from Arabian wastelands – hate those who call themselves Palestinians. The Jordanian Hashemite monarchy is a fraud and to try to strengthen that pile of complex hatreds and deceits only strengthens the hands of Israel’s enemies.
Jordan is not Palestine for Jordan itself was born in treacherous deceit by the British and Arabs.
Further, you must look beyond the letter of agreement between Feisal Husseini and Chaim Weizmann. Feisal never had the right to give consent to the return of Judean’s for he was not a resident of that land but a tribal sheik from outside. The hatred toward him and his descendants, including that half-Brit on the throne now, resides deep within the hearts of all those living today who feel betrayed by the Hashemites.
You must understand one thing about Arabs and those who call themselves Palestinians – hatred and the insatiable hunger for revenge are deeply embedded in their psyche and even their DNA. They will seek revenge even if it means their own death – to wit the suicide bombers. How soon israelis, in their hopes, seem willing to forgive and forget.
The only solution is simple. Clear the ancient homeland of all those who will not accept a sovereign Israel restored on its entire original homeland including all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Let Arabs deal with the aggressive natures of those they have shipped off into Judea and Jordan in hopes that would mean death to Israel.
Fall for this illusion, and their goals will be achieved.
This is an illusion. A few voices a couple of articles do not solve such seething hatreds.
Jordan’s populace is already wildly divided with animosity towards Palestinians just as it was in Lebanon. Palestinians want to dominate in Jordan while they were held back in all other countries. The previous ruler understood that and drove them out in Black September of 1970. Remember?
Nothing has changed. A few businessman who see a chance to make money do not speak for the entire peoples now living in Jordan. It will erupt eventually into civil war and that will spill over in Israel.
If you post my other comment, awaiting moderation, it explains more.
I hate to contradict myself, but I reacted too quickly to the proposal. I urge others to read the articles from the links provided in Ted Belman’s post.
I was aware of the hatred between Palestinians and the Jordan Bedouins but I did not realize the extent of the discrimination and exploitation of Palestinians by the Bedouin Arabs and the impotent Abdullah regime.
I’ve read the article “Jordan is Palestine” by Zahran. After setting aside my initial impulse to distrust any Arab proposal, I believe there may be sound reasons for believing this can work. Most Palestinians who left during the early 20th century have become successful entrepreneurs in South and North America as well as the Caribbean. Their vast wealth could contribute to a solid relationship between Israel and a democratic Palestine now occupied by the Jordan regime.
The majority of Palestinians who left – rather than fight the return of Jewish exiles – were capable entrepreneurs and many sympathized with returning Jewish refugees. My parents are among those who had strong emotional and social links with Jews during the Palestine mandate. We were not unusual and many in the Palestinian Diaspora would likely contribute to strong economic support for a Palestinian state in a moderate, democratic nation that committed itself unequivocally to a peaceful relationship with Israel unhindered by the Islamist threat from Hamas and some elements in the PA.
I am going to read the articles and proposals again. They are well worth considering.
I wrote the following to a large group of pro-Israel bloggers who were skeptical.
The Pali game plan has always been a three part game plan.
A- Reducing Israeli presence in Y&S and E Jerusalem to zero.
1- campaign to delegitimize Israel globally.
2- Keeping their narrative going by all means available to them.
B- seeking autonomy in the Galilee where a majority of the population even today is Arab.
C- Once they have total control over the Territories and autonomy; Jordan is theirs for the taking. That gives them a major autonomous enclave inside of Israel which they would expand over time and a contiguous state encompassing Jordan and the West Bank, with or without any small territorial modifications.
Keeping Jordan separate from the Pali conflict allows them to pursue aims B & C, and I see no valid reason why they should change today their agenda simply because it is working and they seem willing to wait us out constantly applying pressure where they can and where we allow them to.
It should be obvious to all except the most obtuse among us that statehood is not their main goal but the elimination of Israel by any means that works for them.
Ted, what can I say except “The way to Hell is paved with good intentions” Every Arab who has sought accommodation with Israel has been eliminated mostly by violent means. Remember our Peace Agreement with Lebanon? How did that work out???
And Lebanon then was a more natural Peace partner for us than is Jordan Today. Then a bit more than half the population was christian and Druze.
Democracy in the Arab and Muslim world is an OXYMORON. At Best it would allow the most militant of the Arabs to gain power without the need for violent takeovers. In the Arabs world the most violent and militant among them always reins supreme as loyalties are to the clan and not to any artificial national state. There is no way the country of Jordan can be an economically viable national state; especially if you double or triple the population. The Bedouin hate the non Bedouin, the Non Bedouin hate the Bedouin. Sunni hate the Shia and the Shia hate the Sunni and they all hate the Jews.
Since our Peace Agreement with Jordan, a few Israeli Textile manufactures moved to Jordan employing a few thousand Jordanians but Israel uses Jordanian Agents to sell our products and produce in the Arab world and we import goods made in other Arab countries like plastic raw materials into Israel through Jordanian Agents. Jordan itself produces next to nothing and buys from Israel for itself little from Israel. The Arabs have no work ethic and there is nothing they can produce or sell that is better and cheaper than what can be had from China and other Asian suppliers.
Jordan today is a failed State dependent on subsidies and aid from the Saudis and the Americans, any major investment would be throwing good money after bad, a total waste and most would wind up like in all Arab and Muslim societies in the hands of a select few. The people of Jordan will like in all Arab countries not reap the rewards of such Largesse.
Arabs hatred of Jews have never been mitigated due to economic progress, if anything the opposite is true because it would make the have and have-nots more pronounced and even more extremist within the society. A Pali Jordan resentful of Palis exiles from Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the world would soon turn towards civil war and or militancy towards Israel such as we had in the 2nd intifada and from Gaza, except Jordan has a small modern military with an air-force, tanks and all the weapons of modern warfare. What if they ally with Iran? A militant Egypt or Turkey, Russia? Their small military in time could become a formidable military threat to us right on our Eastern border.
Uris understood his subject. I don’t think most of the commenters here do nor does Ted.
In the final analysis I submit “The Bradbury butterfly effect”
As you say, the Palestinians are anathema to Abdullah’s monarchy. Abdullah’s father was thrilled to rid himself of them (of many of them) in ’67. Our political realities are based on so many dreams and unrealistic conjectures. Even if Abdullah’s monarchy falls, and a secular state successfully established in Jordan, why would Jordanians want to import the Palestinians and their problems into their country? – a country that could otherwise live in peace? After 50 years of propaganda that the Jewish state is their home, do you think Palestinians will drop their hopes of an Israeli homeland and settle docilely in a new Jordan? What would happen to the Arab goal of not wanting Israel in their midst?-To hatred of Israel, the single goal that unites all the Arab countries? Do we think for one moment that the “Palestinians” are not also victims here? Since ’67, the entire Arab world has carefully avoided opening up their vast territories to the so-called Palestinians because they want to keep the Israel-problem festering over international media. Do we believe that the Arab world is so concerned about the Palestinians? No. It is in the interest of Arab internal politics, as well as in their stated desire of ridding themselves of Israel, that they feed, bolster and maintain discord between Israel and the Palestinians. It is in their interests to keep the focus of America and the western world on Israel’s trumped up lack of humanity.
Batya Casper
http://www.israelathebook.com
You know I just love this. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Hope I did it right. That is the picture of the Arab world.
Well said Yamit. There was only peace with Germany and Japan, when they were completely crushed. That is when Israel will have peace. When their enemies are likewise crushed. Every known place in Gaza that is used for firing rockets at Sderot, should be completely defoliated.
A few years ago, a client of mine said he was going to have to see his ex-wife soon (I am a matrimonial lawyer) to see his son off overseas. I asked where he was going? He said Afganistan. I asked what he was doing there. He said his son was in the special forces. He cracked me up, because he said his son was spending his last two weeks before going there doing “towel-head training” (sorry, aussie humour). Basically, it was there is no such thing as surrender. You fight and you live, or you fight and you die.
And always keep one bullet so you don’t fall into the hands of the taliban.
A nice metaphor for Israel I think. At least Israel has “200 hundred bullets” made in Dimona.