The Mandate of the League of Nations for Palestine* turned 100 years old on July 24 2022
Hanspeter Beuchi
*After suppressing Jewish uprisings in 135 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian had changed the name of the land from Judea to Palestine. The name Palestine remained until 1948, the founding year of the State of Israel (previously called national Home for the Jewish people). Palestine had been the geographical name for the Holy Land. But there was neither a state of Palestine nor a people of that name.
What was the purpose and meaning of the Mandate of the League of Nations of 1922?
It represents under international law the basis of the State of Israel (until 1948 called national Home). The Mandate entrusted Great Britain with the implementation of the Balfour Declaration, i.e. the establishment of a national Home for the Jewish People in Palestine, namely on the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea (including the whole of Jerusalem). This was preceded in 1897 by the Basle Zionist Congress under Theodor Herzl and in 1917 by the Balfour Declaration, in which the British committed themselves to support the establishment of a national Home for the Jews as mentioned before. At the San Remo Conference in 1920, the Supreme Council of the Allied Powers approved the Balfour Declaration, making it valid under international law. Subsequently, the League of Nations (forerunner of the UN) adopted the above-mentioned mandate on 24 July 1922. In its preamble, it says: «Whereas recognition has thereby been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country .
The civil and religious rights of the non-Jewish communities were to be respected, which posed no problems. However, from 1920 onwards – and until 1948 – the resistance of the Arab side, which was associated with terror and violence, became apparent. For according to Islamic doctrine, a territory that was under Islamic rule could never be dominated by non-Muslims. There would have been room for everyone. About 80% was state land. According to the 1921 administrative report, Palestine was undeveloped and underpopulated. But what did the British do as a mandate power? They illegally restricted Jewish immigration, but allowed numerous Arabs to immigrate (illegally) into the Mandate territory until 1948. That is why the majority of the “Palestinian people” are immigrants or their descendants.
The League of Nations mandate – key argument against the Nations delegitimizing Israel!
Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel has been facing waves of attempts from many sides – the UN, Nations, Palestinians – to curtail the territory legally fixed in 1922 as the national Home for the Jewish people. However, there has been no change to it, neither by the UN partition plan of 1947, which failed because the Arabs said no, nor by the illegal Jordanian occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem 1948-67. The Oslo Accords did not change anything either. Only certain areas were placed under Palestinian self-administration. Neither “Palestinian territory” nor a Palestinian state came into being, nor did the Palestinians get the right to East Jerusalem with the Old City and the Temple Mount. Despite all this, the UN and many nations are fixated on a Palestinian state, even though it has no legal basis and no prospect of peace. For the valid charter of the PLO/Fatah aims at the destruction of Israel. There is also no “1967 border”. Settlements are legal, if not on private Palestinian land. For they are basically situated on the territory that was set aside in 1922 for the national Jewish Home. The UN may have the power to violate Israel’s rights, but it is not entitled to do so, because these are protected by Art. 80 of the UN Charter. The fact that every year 70-80% of UN resolutions are against Israel alone is just one exemple of how much the anti-Semitism has developed into anti-Israelism.
Because the question « Who owns the land » has been answered in the binding Mandate for Palestine, Israel should refer to it when defending its position. Therefore the now 100 years old League of Nations mandate granting the said territory to the Jewish People cannot be emphasised enough. The UN and its members ignore it, criticise Israel unjustly – and grant the Palestinians non-existent territorial rights. This makes the UN and others to accomplices of those who want to wipe out Israel. Terror and agitation against Israel are hadly noticed. The critical opinion of many people in the world about Israel is mainly due to the often one-sided reporting in the media and the activities of anti-israel NGOs – some are based in Israel.
The writer is a retired Swiss banker and an international board member of Keep Jerusalem