The Balfour Declaration: A Jewish Homeland in Palestine
Hi Sheri, Glad to hear it. I shouldn't really try writing any comments, when I'm as tired as I was the other night.
Yes, the further you delve into the governmental history of any nation, the more you realize that they're all after what they can get for their own countries, and sod the rest. Which, I suppose, is their job, but makes for unsavory reading for us mere mortals.
I'm sorry that Britain's mercenary approach to nation building involved your own this time.
1, Because the British governmental documents of the time refer to it as Palestine. The Mandate covered all of the areas in the British half of the previously Ottoman area, with the French taking the other half. Britain then divided its Mandatory areas into TransJordan (aka Jordan now) and Palestine, in which would be created 'a national home for the Jewish People'.
When I'm writing about history, I try to keep to the terms used by the primary sources that I'm using, unless it makes no sense or would be confusing to do so. Even with my own. I'll refer to Wales, despite that actually being a derogatory slang name from the English, because no-one reading would know what I'm talking about if I said Cymru.
(On that note, I'm face-palming over the Israelite versus Israeli thing. I knew that, so I'd been trying to keep them distinct. Did I use the wrong one in the article? If so, it's a typo and I'll change it. Thanks for the head's up!)
Even within the Mandate itself, the country is frequently referred to as Palestine, as it was in the Balfour Declaration. Nor was it the first time in history that the area had been referred to as such. Thinking now of Syria Palestine and Roman Palestine.
2, I agree with all that you said here. But there were living there when the Balfour Declaration was made.
You've told me something new though. What's 'Judenrein'? I can guess the first part!
Off to read part two. Thanks for commenting. Your insights are always valuable.
JoHarrington, Nov 22, 2012