San Remo 1920, A Zionist Magna Carta – Part 1

February 8, 2020
San Remo Conference
San Remo Conference, 1920. Agence Meurisse, BNF /Gallica.fr

The Bible says: “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.’”  (Genesis 15:18)

Yasser Arafat declared, “Peace for us means the destruction of Israel. We are preparing for an all out war, a war that will last for generations.” He found Israel, stubborn, resilient and determined. Like many before him and those after, Arafat rode the wave of rage. Wipe Israel off the map has been the constant chant.

During a Christian sponsored event in Jerusalem, Dr. Jacques Gauthier, an international legal scholar spoke. Gauthier said it was in San Remo that the claims presented on the behalf of the Jewish people on February 27, 1919, during the Paris peace conference—the rights of the Jewish people to reconstitute a Jewish national home in what was then called Palestine—were approved.

“The rights granted in San Remo were incorporated in the treaty of Sevre in 1920 and the Mandate for Palestine approved by the League of Nations in 1922,” he said. “These rights included the recognition of the historical connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem and the right to reconstitute in that City their ancient capital.”

These historic agreements earned in blood and treasure are often ignored by politicians, world leaders and journalists alike. (Some church leaders too!)

One hundred years ago the collapse of the Ottoman Empire created complex legal ramifications throughout the Middle East. 1920 is vitally important. On April 25,1920 the San Remo Conference was held in San Remo, Italy. It was an international gathering of Prime Ministers and leaders. The senior dignitaries were Britain (David Lloyd George), France (Alexander Millerand), Italy (Francesco Nitti) and Japan (Ambassador K. Matsui). America attended as an observer.

This was a momentous event where challenging aspects of the fallen Ottoman Empire were divided into three mandates—Syria, Iraq and Palestine. Most of the land was handed to the Arabs with the creation of new mandates for Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and later Jordan. Specifically for Israel San Remo adopted an Allied Powers agreement in favour of the establishment of a national home for the Jewish People.

The Balfour Declaration as the basic guideline for the future development of the region was adopted. Attorney Howard Grief wrote:

“The San Remo Resolution converted the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917 from a mere statement of British policy expressing sympathy with the goal of the Zionist movement to create a Jewish state into a binding act of international law that required fulfilment by Britain of this object in active cooperation with the Jewish people.” (Legal Rights and Title of Sovereignty of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel and Palestine under International Law, Howard Grief, acpr.org.il).

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Lord Curzon described the San Remo conclusions as ‘the Magna Carta of the Zionists.’ Those decisions were confirmed unanimously on July 24, 1922, by all fifty-one members of the League of Nations.

“The ‘Mandate for Palestine’, an historical League of Nations document, laid down the Jewish legal right to settle anywhere in western Palestine, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, an entitlement unaltered in International law.” (‘Mandate for Palestine’ – The Legal Aspects of Jewish Rights, Eli E. Hertz, mythsandfacts.org)

The name ‘Palestine’ was created by the Romans around 135 CE adapted from the Philistines. It was chosen to emphasise the eradication of the Jewish people after the Revolts against Rome. ‘Philistia’ became ‘Palistina’ or ‘Palestine’. It was never an independent state and not distinct from other Arabs. In fact local Arabs were looked upon as part of Greater Syria (Suriyya al-Kubra) Under the British Mandate anyone born in Israel was a Palestinian whether they were Jew, Arab or Christian. With the birth of the State of Israel, their true identity was acknowledged.

Joshua Teitelbaum (JCPA) wrote:

“The Jews have been brought back into history through the establishment of the State of Israel.”

He charged those who deny the legal right of Israel as ‘a new kind of antisemitism.’

The San Remo decision was a dramatic turning point. It sparked Jewish celebrations around the world. And no UN resolution since has legally changed the agreements for the land granted to the Jewish people at San Remo nearly 100 years ago.

God promised Israel to the Jewish people (Genesis 15:18). The Book of Joshua continues today.

April 25 is a very significant date for Australians. We observe Anzac Day, April 25. It is very interesting that the Anzac history relates to 1917. On 2 November, 1917 Great Britain issued the Balfour Declaration which declared:

“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

The territory known as ‘Palestine’ was still part of the Ottoman Empire in 2017. In 2018 Britain liberated ‘Palestine’ from Turkish rule.

The San Remo Conference followed at the Villa Devachan, San Remo, Italy,
18-26 April, 1920.

Present were the Principal Allied Powers of World War 1—Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan. The USA attended as an ‘Associated Power’, an ally of France and Great Britain.

The fundamental goal at San Remo was to effectively decide the future of the Middle East following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Dr Chaim Weizman, president of the newly formed Zionist Organisation said:

“Recognition of our rights in Palestine is embodied in the treaty with Turkey, and has become part of international law. This is the most momentous political event in the whole history of our movement, and it is, perhaps, no exaggeration to say in the whole history of our people since the Exile. For this great declaration of deliverance we have to thank the Allied and Associated Powers.”

Dr Weizman became the first President of the State of Israel.

Historians record salient points from San Remo.

For the first time in modern history, Palestine became a legal entity. Before San Remo it has just been a geographical area.

The Balfour Declaration achieved legal status in San Remo by being incorporated into the agreement.

‘Jewish people’ were designated as the exclusive beneficiaries of a sacred trust in the Palestine Mandate, the first step on the road leading to the national sovereignty of the Jewish people.

Certainly it kindled new hope for the scattered Jewish people to believe for their long dreamed of homecoming

Arab objections in this era mirrored the militancy of today. The dominant Arab clans in Jerusalem were the el-Husseinis and the Nashashibis. They battled each other for supremacy. Haj Amin el-Husseini was the first to organise suicide groups the ‘fedayeen’ (‘one who sacrifices himself’). They began terrorising Jews in 1919. The first large Arab riots in Jerusalem targeted Passover, April 1920.

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Ron Ross

Ron Ross resigned his TV career to attend Bible College. His life has been dedicated to missions and ministry. After 9 years as pastor at Noosa Baptist Church, Ron and his wife Yvonne moved to Jerusalem. He broadcast news from Israel and the Middle East to Christian networks around the world. He continues to broadcast Israel and Middle East news for Vision Christian Radio on Tuesdays.

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