GUEST BLOG: Lois Griffiths – BALFOUR’S SHADOW

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It is not surprising that there is support in South Africa for the Palestinian people, because of the harshness South Africans endured  under apartheid. South Africans see a parallel between what they went through and what today’s Palestinians have to endure. 

There is also support for the Palestinian people among African Americans. Both  are subjected to  violent militarised policing. Jewish Voice for Peace has released a document, Deadly Exchange  discussing how American police forces learn from Israeli law enforcers. 

But why is there support in Ireland for the Palestinian cause?

What do  the Irish and the Palestinians  have in common? 

A friend of historian David Cronin’s, informed him that Churchill sent the Black and Tans to Palestine. As the Black and Tans had been particularly ruthless in Cronin’s home town in County Dublin, he decided to research Britain’s role in the formation of Israel. His research led to his book  Balfour’s Shadow, about the role of the British in determining the fate of the Palestinian people.

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The support in Ireland for the Palestinians has to do with historical memories. Both peoples experienced being treated cruelly, contemptuously,  by British colonial regimes.

Historical memories are a powerful force.  

David Cronin’s book Balfour’s Shadow, A Century of British Support for Zionism and Israel, Pluto Press 2017,  won high praise from historians and journalists including Robert Fisk, “ Perhaps the most dramatic centenary account.” 

In November  1917,  Arthur James Balfour , British Foreign Secretary at the time, wrote to a short letter to Walter Rothschild, “an aristocrat and committed Zionist.”

Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s government , the following declaration of symphathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to , and approved, by the cabinet.

‘His Majesty’s government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.’ 

I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours,

Arthur James Balfour  

This short letter, now known as the Balfour Declaration,  is seen as the beginning of  Britain’s huge role in the formation of Israel . 

Why did Balfour make such a commitment for Britain and for that matter under what authority, are two of the questions Cronin’s book investigates.   As Chief Secretary in Ireland, Balfour’s  violence earned him the nickname Bloody Balfour.  As MP , he pushed for a tough ‘alien’s bill’ to allow Britain to refuse entry to Jews fleeing Russian pograms.

Balfour’s Shadow is not just about what took place in 1917. Cronin  researched colonial office files, foreign and commonwealth office files. His book  follows the history of the relationship between Britain and Zionist groups from pre-mandate times to the present, from  the December 1917 British capture of Jerusalem through to Theresa May’s declaration of ‘pride’ in Britain’s role. 

David Cronin, who is Irish, explains that he was motivated to undertake his project after being told by a friend that Churchill had sent the ‘Black and Tans’ to Palestine. 

The American historian Howard Zinn has explained why reading  history is so important. “The past is past, “ he agrees. But, “ The important thing is what does it tell us about today…and about what we might do in the world?  There’s a present and a future reason for going into the past.”

In other words, what has happened in the past, casts a long shadow over what is happening today. Hence, the book’s title, Balfour’s Shadow. 

Lois Griffiths is a Human Rights Activist.

60 COMMENTS

  2. “‘Twas down the glen one Easter morn
    To a city fair rode I.
    When Ireland’s line of marching men
    In squadrons passed me by…”

    Well now, it just goes to show if you stay in one place long enough, everyone comes past. Happy Easter, over there.

  3. A very good informative post Lois ,,, A knowledge of History is the last thing Israel want’s ,,, then people would be aware the issue is about stolen land and displaced people ,,, a injustice maintained by the violence of reprisals ,,, much like the nazis would burn a church full of villages / civilians for any casualties they suffered from resistance fighters ,,, and the use of collective punishment.

    That violence would inevitably be needed to maintain the Zionist project was foreseen and warned about to the usa Govt , when they conducted a census / survey /feasibility study of the middle east in the early part of last century ,,,

    so If Hamas disappeared from the face of the earth tomorrow the ongoing criminal actions of Israel would not change ,,, the longest / oldest population of refugees will not disappear and neither will their resistance and quest for justice.,,,.

    Plucky little international law flouter and war criminal Israel IS the problem. ie;
    ‘URGENT: 2,100 Palestinians To Be Ethnically Cleansed From Jerusalem’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7VFTACHgPY

    **********************************************************

    Regarding the Brits and their Black and Tan counter-insurgency / violence ,,,, unfortunately the dirty Brits roped in and used Anzac troops for quashing independence / self rule ‘Arab
    Springs / popular peoples movements ‘ in both Palestine and Egypt.

    World War One did not run from 1914 to 1918 as we have be taught ,,, although that was the ‘moral’ or justified part where we beat the hun ,,,,

    The ongoing militarily use of Kiwi and Aussie soldiers during 1919 ,, so the Brits could rule and exploit the conquered people in their Empire ,,, is barely acknowledged ,,, . I believe Chris Trotter may have written a good article about a atrocity committed by Anzac soldiers,,, when our troops killed most of the adult males in a Palestine village as collective punishment for a fatal robbery.

    Our troops wanted to come home after all they had done and been through in WWI,,, but they were told then that there were not enough ships to take them ,,,,, and it’s still official military history now.

    Personally I think there’s no room on the ships excuse is bullshit ,,,, and there would have been a bit of spare space from up to 18,000 ‘war horses’ NZ sent to WWI ,,, and were mainly shot in the head or otherwise killed after their service ,,,,,, with only 4 making it back to NZ. https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2014/08/04/lest-forget-remembering-new-zealand-war-horse/

    And it was just a lucky coincidence that we were there for the Brits using military force to quell a independence revolution , ,,, with a few military massacres to ‘restore order’ ,,,, and we also enforced rule and order by means of floggings and incarceration ,,, I wouldn’t know which punishment was used the most ,,, but you don’t have to feed them to flog em,,,, or have cells and guards. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/wellington-mounted-rifles/1914

    The British in Egypt were basically looting and asset stripping from a poor people,,,

    ‘Dirty War’ would best describe their operations against the Palestinians ,,, who Churchill compared to dogs.

  4. cmon gaby , you’ve got your Harvey weinstein script writers glasses on ,,, and the reading skills of a one eyed deviant ,,, you missed this bit ,,,
    ,,, ” it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine,”

    See how the evil clown netanyahu is disgracing himself more than normally in the Israeli electoral farce ,,, 4 elections in 2 years ,,, He’s doing deals with Heroes of Israel who make Harvey Rapestein look like a saint. …. https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-is-netanyahu-trying-again-to-push-kahanists-into-the-knesset/

    ““The fact that Netanyahu is doing everything to push Kahanists and terror supporters who glorify Baruch Goldstein into the Knesset is a national disgrace. He has no shame,”

    gaby says terrorists “get what they deserve ,,, in Netyahoo’s Israel ,,,that would be political representation

    “Poster of a terrorist

    It’s hard to exaggerate the extremism of Ben Gvir’s views, past and present.

    In his teens, Ben Gvir led the youth wing of the racist Kach movement founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane until it was outlawed following the 1994 massacre by Kach activist Baruch Goldstein of 29 Muslim worshipers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-oOg2J0aY

    Netanyahu’s New Normal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5OJSUSbFmE&t=1269s

  5. More of your propagandist ill-informed and evidence free blogsite opinions! The first is ostensibly a book review that uses slippery language to obfuscate. For example, “Mistake #5: ….No! It just said ‘territories’. Not ‘all territories’.” Not having a copy to establish that in fact Cronin said, “all territories” it is accepted. However, neither did UN Resolution 242 state just “Territories”. The text states,
    “(i) Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from TERRITORIES OCCUPIED in the recent conflict;
    (ii) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.”

    As for ‘the old apartheid canard’ you refer to, the apartheid state issue has been explained on numerous occasions on this site. Apartheid isn’t just, “not letting them swim on certain beaches or anything like that”. Using de Klerk’s own words, “you have Palestinians living in Israel with full political rights,” gives a convenient smokescreen when the vast majority of Palestinians in Israel do not have any rights and are under Military Law. Even those who supposedly have political rights are stymied, as they have absolutely no political influence in the Knesset. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/09/20/no-matter-how-many-palestinians-vote-israeli-elections-we-still-cant-win/)

    Your links are as dodgy as a pole dancing hippo again Gaby!

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