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President of Israel on Balfour Anniversary: Jews and Arabs Are Destined - Not Doomed - to Live Together
(Newsweek) Reuven Rivlin - At the time Lord Balfour made his famous declaration, my family - the Rivlin family - had already been living in the Land of Israel for over 100 years. Jerusalem had already had a Jewish majority for over half a century. Today, my grandchildren are ninth generation Jerusalemites. The Balfour Declaration marked the first official recognition by an international power of the right of the Jewish people to independence and self-determination in our ancestral homeland. The establishment of a national home for the Jewish people is a dream that has truly been realized, with more than half the world's Jewish population now living in Israel. Lord Balfour also stressed that the rights and civil liberties of the non-Jewish communities must not be prejudiced. Indeed, non-Jewish communities who took Israeli citizenship share the same democratic rights and responsibilities as their Jewish neighbors. Today they include senior figures in Israel's judiciary, military, legislature, civil service, industry and academia. Is the job done? No. But I am deeply proud of Israel's efforts to address the challenges, and work to ensure equality for all the Arab citizens of Israel. Israel will continue to seek and strive to find a lasting and peaceful solution to the conflict between us and the Palestinians - a solution that is rooted in mutual acceptance. Because ultimately the Balfour Declaration called upon everyone to understand that the Jewish people had returned home. When it is truly understood that the Arabs and Jews of the Holy Land are not doomed to live together but indeed destined to live together, then the legacy of Balfour will be truly realized. The writer is the president of Israel.