“Upon the completion of the renovations and the opening of the new museum, it is intended that the original copy of (Israel’s) Declaration of Independence will be displayed there, along with Lord Balfour’s authentic writing table. The new museum is due to be dedicated in about two years. In the context of its opening, it is intended to exhibit the original copy of the Balfour Declaration as well as the correspondence that preceded the declaration between Lord Balfour and the then leader of the Zionist movement, Chaim Weizmann, who later became the first president of the State of Israel,” according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamim Netanyahu’s office.

Lord Arthur James Balfour’s declaration, issued in November 1917, was a watershed diplomatic achievement for the Zionist movement, marking the first time that the idea of the need for a national home for the Jewish people in the land of Israel was recognized by an international power.

In a statement, the Arab League said the Balfour Declaration set the basis for the ongoing Israeli-Arab conflict, causing many deaths and the loss of Palestinian rights.

Lord Arthur James Balfour

The Declaration “dispossessed the Palestinian people of alienable rights — a people who were brought up on this land from the dawn of history and established a civilization on its soil and lived for decades in love and tolerance. Palestinians had control of 98 percent of the territories when the Balfour Declaration was issued.

“The declaration was opposed at the time by many Jewish figures, including Lord Montagu, the only Jewish member of the cabinet. Montagu warned of the consequences of the declaration, which was followed by colonial policies and occupation that deprived the Palestinian people of their territories,” the Arab League said in a statement posted on its official website.

It was announced last week that the British National Library had agreed to loan the document to Israel on a limited basis, based on conditions to be determined by the library to ensure that the paper is preserved.

View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=8781