On November 2 this year, the moral and intellectual void at the helm of the British Conservative Party, PM Theresa May, declared for the Zionist entity in Palestine, just as, 100 years earlier, the wartime cabinet of David Lloyd George and Arthur James Balfour declared for the Zionist movement's statist designs on Arab Palestine.
Unfortunately, the British Labour Party's sole representative in the cabinet, George Barnes (Minister without Portfolio), concurred, laying the foundation for a century of bipartisan British support for Zionism, both in its pre- and post-state forms.
The current leader of the Labour Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, however, is (or appears to be) breaking ranks. Here's his official position on the Balfour centenary, delivered on November 2:
"Today marks the centenary of the British government's Balfour Declaration, which has shaped the modern history of the Middle East.
"The fact that this promise by what was then colonial Britain is celebrated by one side and commemorated as a disaster by the other reflects the continuing tragedy at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
"Balfour promised to help establish a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine while pledging that nothing would be done to prejudice the rights of its 'existing non-Jewish communities', a reference to the Palestinian Arabs who then made up 90% of the population.
"A hundred years on, the second part of Britain's pledge has still not been fulfilled, and Britain's historic role means we have a special responsibility to the Palestinian people, who are still denied their basic rights.
"So let us mark the Balfour anniversary by recognising Palestine as a step towards a genuine two state solution of the Israel-Palestine conflict, increasing international pressure for an end to the 50-year occupation of the Palestinian territories, illegal settlement expansion and the blockade of Gaza.
"As many Israelis and Palestinians believe, there can only be a lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of a negotiated settlement that delivers justice and security for both peoples and states."
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I note your "is (or appears to be) breaking ranks". MERC. My take - and it's guesswork - is that for a while, early in his incumbency, he was under so much pressure on the "antisemitism" issue that he waivered, but he has been re-emboldened by the support for the Palestinian cause among Labour rank and file - rather than the Blairite members of the hierarchy. And recall that Labour is, by far, the largest political party in the UK - nearly 5 times as large as the second - the Scottish National Party. It has had similar problems:
https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/1.717756
I wonder what its rank and file think.
That's a good thought, MERC, but I don't think he is there in terms of security of his position yet. This would be a tectonic shift in British politics - no politician at his level has stood up to the Zionist machine since Balfour. Gerald Kaufman and George Galloway were/are not major players and could be labelled as "loonies" as indeed Corbyn has been. He has to tread a fine line - and is doing it very well - finally the issue is being debated - as I keep saying, Oxygen corrodes Zionism. My concern is that at some point the machine will dump Netanyahu because he's not a good salesman - there are enough corruption charges against him - and then everyone will breathe a sigh of relief and life (and death) will go on as before in Occupied Palestine. My other concern is that to prevent this Netanyahu might start another war or at least carnage in Gaza. I'm sure that, like me, you're watching what's going on in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia - and occupied Golan. Of course there is the appealing thought that Netanyahu is replaced by Bennett or Lieberman - then I believe the EU would let go.
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