Published in Jerusalem Post Magazine, 10 November 2017
The Balfour Declaration's most obvious implication for today is its spawning of a precept of international law that gave the Jewish people the right to resettle the entire strategic Judea-Samaria region including inter alia all state lands and East Jerusalem. This right was granted to the Jewish people unanimously and irrevocably by the League of Nations and survived the League's demise by virtue of its incorporation into Article 80 of the "constitution" of the international community (the UN Charter). The resettlement right was also officially claimed by Israel's Government both de-facto (on the ground) and de jure (by the 2012 "right and claim" GOI Decision adopted in the wake of the Levy Report).
The most telling corollary of the above is that Israel-bashing has, legally speaking, not a leg to stand on. UNSC 2334 is flaunted by vulgar BDSers to "prove" illegality of Jewish resettlement. But the above fact pattern proves quite the opposite. Israel's resettlement project, far from being illegal, is enshrined in international law. Nor does Jewish resettlement become illegal merely because 15 UN Security Council members say so -- just as the earth would remain round even if all 15 UNSC members were to unanimously resolve that the earth is flat.
Susie Dym, spokesperson
Mattot Arim, an Israeli NGO
Working toward peace-for—peace since 1992
Rehovot
