Posted on 07/16/2002 2:26:29 PM PDT by liberallarry
...When Turkey entered the First War World on the side of the Central Powers, Jabotinsky realized that a unique historic opportunity was opened for the Jews to demand their historical national rights over Palestine. He was convinced that only by fighting on the side of the allies under their own flag could the Jews attain these rights. Consequently, Jabotinsky organized, together with Joseph Trumpeldor and Pinjas Rutenberg, the Jewish Legion that fought on the side of the Allies and participated in the conquest of Palestine from the Turks. He enlisted in it, and was decorated for his feats on the battlefield. At the end of the war, the International Conference of San Remo (1919), conferred the administration of Palestine, over both banks of the Jordan river, upon Britain, given it a mandate to establish the Jewish National Home. This decision, later ratified by the League of Nations (1922), became the international legal basis for the Zionist enterprise.
Only two months after the San Remo Conference decision was ratified by the League of Nations, Britain separated the Eastern bank of the Jordan, spanning nearly four-fifths of the mandate area, where it established the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. To make things more difficult, nearly three fourth of the Arab population was concentrated in Cisjordan, the remaining fifth of the mandate. As a result, Jewish immigration, now restricted to the most crowded area of the mandate, raised violent Arab opposition, and was drastically limited by Britain. This happened just after the Russian revolution, when anti-Semitism was increasing in Europe, and when nations all over the world were closing their doors to Jewish immigrants.
Jabotinsky opposed the policy adopted by the Zionist Organization, which was based on the Balfour Declaration. This latter expressed the commitment of the British government to the establishment of a national Jewish home in Palestine, in a letter from British foreign secretary to the chairman of the London Jewish community. This letter, from a member of the British government to a British citizen, was clearly an internal British affair that lacked international force. Furthermore, it was weakened by similar British promises granted to the Arabs (4).
Jabotinsky, on the contrary, advocated an international Zionist policy based on the legal rights conferred by the San Remo Conference. In Jabotinsky's opinion, fulfillment of Britain's obligations stipulated in the mandate, and opening the doors of Palestine to massive Jewish immigration were issues of international interest for liberal and anti-Semitic governments alike. Both realized the necessity for Jews to have a home. Since, the liberal governments were conscience-ridden for closing their doors to the persecuted Jews, and the anti-Semitic governments were anxious to rid their countries of their undesired Jewish citizens. Therefore, Zionist policy should focus on mobilizing international pressure against separation of Transjordan from the area designated for the establishment of the national Jewish home, and restriction imposed on Jewish immigration to Palestine.
According to this approach, Jabotinsky negotiated with the most notorious anti-Semitic governments, in order to facilitate the transfer of the Jews from Europe to Israel. In 1921 he negotiated with the exiled govern of Ukraine, which granted him permission to organize Jewish self-defense against pogroms. In 1934-35 he resumed the contact with the National-Socialist German government previously held by Haim Arlozorov, chairman of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency, who was assassinated in June 1933 after returning to Israel from Germany. The German government was disposed to allow and give political support to the transfer of German Jews to Palestine, whereas Weizmann (5) and other Zionist leaders opposed such non-selective and massive immigration. In a desperate and unfruitful effort to save European Jewry from the imminent Holocaust, Jabotinsky founded the New Zionist Organization in 1935. In 1937-38 he negotiated with the Polish authorities, who were disposed to give financial, political and logistic support for the Jabotinsky's plan to evacuate the Polish Jews to Israel.
In 1920 Jabotinsky organized the Jewish self-defense in Jerusalem and founded the Haganah, which constituted the basis of the Israeli Army in 1948. As a result he was sentenced by the British to 15 years of forced labor. However, worldwide public protest brought about his release after only three months in prison. In 1925, Jabotinsky founded the Union of Revisionist Zionists (URZ), antecedent of the Likud (Union) Party which now heads the Israeli government. The URZ opposed the policy of selected immigration (hachshara) oriented toward the creation of a Marxist society (4), and demanded the mass evacuation of the Eastern-European Jewry. In 1935, he founded the New Zionist Organization in a desperate effort to save European Jewry from the imminent holocaust....
It was a British affair, but "lacking international force" was irrelvent. The land was Britains, there was no need for any international perspective at all.
Furthermore, it was weakened by similar British promises granted to the Arabs (4).
The British did not promise Arabs independence in Palestine. That was explicitly stated to Arab leaders more than once and in writing.
L
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