Page 42 - Balfour100-E

42 British betrayal Preparations ✡

dreds of thousands of Jews who could Under the terms of the Mandate, Britain
have escaped to their Promised Land ‘Thousands of Jews acted illegally in Palestine
perished in the Nazi death camps. Brit-
ain has their blood on its hands, and has who could have to embed themselves in strategic parts
never owned up to the fact. of Palestine.
After the war, Britain’s betrayal escaped to their Immediately after David Ben-
continued with many thousands of Gurion’s Declaration of Independence
Holocaust survivors being denied entry Promised Land on 14 May 1948, the Arab Legion,
into the one place they wanted to go. commanded by a serving British Army
At least 3,000 Jewish people died at sea perished in the Officer, General Sir John Bagot Glubb
trying to run the British naval blockade – otherwise known as Glubb Pasha –
in order to reach Palestine. The so- Nazi death camps. invaded the newborn State of Israel.
called ‘illegal’ immigrants who were The result of that war was that the
intercepted by the Royal Navy were Britain has blood on Jewish people were ethnically cleansed
imprisoned and deported to camps from their ancient capital city and their
outside Palestine – mostly in Cyprus. its hands, and has historic heartland of Judea and Sama-
Britain’s cruelty towards these survi- ria. Certainly that was a betrayal of the
vors of Hitler’s genocide was finally never owned up intention of the Mandate .
3
exposed by the Exodus incident in the I believe some questions need to be
summer of 1947. Under the terms of the to the fact.’ asked. Was Britain acting illegally by
Mandate, it was Britain that was acting militarily backing an aggressive war of
illegally, not the Holocaust survivors. years earlier the British Government invasion? Was Britain in breach of the
But the ultimate betrayal came with had sent Field Marshall Viscount United Nations Charter, Article 2, by
the War of Independence in 1948. Two Montgomery to assess the chances of doing so? What would have happened
a Jewish State surviving an invasion of to the Jews if the Arabs had won? I
the surrounding Arab armies. Monty’s believe that it was God’s mercy, as well
Hugh Kitson is the writer,
producer and director of ‘Whose assessment was that the fledgling as his purpose, that they didn’t.
Land?’ In more than 45 years of Jewish State would last no more than
working in the film and televi- three weeks. Instead of helping the
sion industry as a documentary Jewish people to defend themselves 1. Available from AO Vision at https://ao.vision/
filmmaker, he has been involved in over 200 against such an onslaught, the Manda- product/the-forsaken-promise-dvd/
productions as an editor, director, writer and/ 2. See article on p44
or producer and won some twenty interna- tory power imposed an arms embargo 3. The story of Britain’s betrayal of the Mandate
tional awards. His documentaries about Israel against the Jewish fighting forces, while for Palestine is told in the three-part docu-
span four decades. Among the most notable at the same time arming and training mentary “The Forsaken Promise” as well as
are ‘Lest We Forget’, ‘The Forsaken Promise’, the Egyptians and Jordanians – as well the recently released “Whose Land?” Part 1 –
and ‘From Exile to Restoration’. as allowing Iraqi and Jordanian fighters ‘Foundations’