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Who Doesn't Believe in Self-Determination?

(Washington Times) Clifford D. May - In theory, who doesn't believe in self-determination, the idea that all nations have a right to sovereignty? On Nov. 2 it will be exactly one hundred years since the Balfour Declaration, the British Empire's statement in support of the establishment of "a national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. "In Palestine shall be laid the foundation of a Jewish Commonwealth," President Woodrow Wilson announced. The primary reason that one peace plan after another has not succeeded is that Palestinian leaders are still fighting wars of the past. They refuse to recognize the legitimacy of Israel under international law, the necessity for Israel given the durability of Jew-hatred, and the reality of Israel established and defended by blood. Who doesn't want self-determination for the Palestinians? Who doesn't want to see Palestinians living in freedom and prosperity? That could have begun 70 years ago. It could begin tomorrow. In theory, it would require only willingness on the part of Palestinians to accept and peacefully coexist alongside the "national home for the Jewish people" envisaged by the Balfour Declaration. In practice, such a change of heart might be another hundred years away. The writer is president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2017-11-02 00:00:00
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