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In
November, 1917, the British government made a pledge to the Jewish
people through the Balfour Declaration to help establish a Jewish
National Homeland in the territory then known as Palestine. After
World War I ended, the League of Nations awarded Britain the Mandate
for Palestine with the proviso that the Balfour Declaration was
implemented along with "close Jewish settlement in the Land." As
difficulties arose, Britain gradually watered down her original
commitment until the MacDonald White Paper of 1939 virtually closed
the borders of Palestine to Jewish immigration.
The Forsaken Promise documents the failure of Britain and her
appointed institutions and officials, whether military,
administrative or political, to fulfill her pledge under the Balfour
Declaration and her legal obligations under the Mandate. It
highlights a number of tragic events that took place during that
period, mainly through the testimonies of people who were victims of
those events, participant in them, or eye-witnessed to them. They
speak of Britain's political expediency and even treachery towards
the Jewish people in appeasing the militant Arab nationalist
movement, as well as causing the wholesale misery of many thousands
of Jewish people who were turned away from the shores of Palestine
in the 1930s and 40s. Through the 1939 White Paper, the British
government also made inevitable the deaths of an untold number of
Jews who could have escaped Hitler’s
Final Solution, had they
been able to find refuge in their ancient homeland.
Here is an excellent
resource, thoroughly researched and documented and beautifully
produced that sets fourth the perspective of many Israelis on the
historical grievances and current tensions in the Holy Land.
Part 1: "The
Forsaken Promise, the Forsaken Jews" - 1 hour
Part 2: "The End of the Mandate, the End of the
Empire" - 1 hour
Abridged Version: Contains highlights from both
episodes - 44 minutes
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