منذ أكثر من قرن، وتحديداً في الثاني من نوفمبر عام 1917، غيّر «وعد بلفور» وجه التاريخ الفلسطيني، حين منحت بريطانيا، عبر وزير خارجيتها آرثر بلفور وعداً بإقامة وطن قومي لليهود في فلسطين. هذا التصريح لم يراعِ الحقوق السياسية للسكان الأصليين، واكتفى بالإشارة إلى «عدم الإضرار بالحقوق المدنية والدينية للطوائف غير اليهودية»، في تجاهل صريح لوجود الشعب الفلسطيني.
ذلك الوعد، الذي وصفه المؤرخ البريطاني أفي شلايم بأنه «ولادة استعمارية للاحتلال»، كان شرارة لمسلسل طويل من التهجير والاستيطان والصراع الذي لا يزال مستعراً حتى اليوم، فمع نهاية الانتداب البريطاني وقرار التقسيم عام 1947، رفض الفلسطينيون تقسيم بلادهم، لتبدأ النكبة عام 1948 بتهجير أكثر من 700 ألف فلسطيني والإعلان عن قيام دولة إسرائيل.
ورغم مرور عقود على النكبة، ظل الحضور الفلسطيني في الأمم المتحدة محصوراً في إطار «منظمة التحرير»، حتى أُعلن في 15 ديسمبر 1988 عن اعتراف الأمم المتحدة بدولة فلسطين من خلال القرار 43/177، ثم أُعطيت صفة «دولة مراقب غير عضو» في نوفمبر 2012، بتأييد 138 دولة، ومع تفاقم العدوان الإسرائيلي على قطاع غزة إثر أحداث 7 أكتوبر 2023، أعادت دول عدة فتح ملف الاعتراف بفلسطين. ففي مايو 2024، أعلنت كل من إسبانيا، آيسلندا، النرويج، وإيرلندا اعترافها الرسمي بدولة فلسطين، في خطوة وُصفت بـ«التاريخية»، وأدّت إلى توترات دبلوماسية مع تل أبيب التي سارعت إلى سحب سفرائها وندّدت بما وصفته «خضوعاً للإرهاب»، واليوم ومع تنامي التأييد الدولي لحق الفلسطينيين في إقامة دولتهم، اعترفت حتى الآن أكثر من 147 دولة حول العالم بدولة فلسطين، بينها 11 دولة من دول الاتحاد الأوروبي. أما بريطانيا، فباتت على أعتاب الاعتراف الرسمي، حيث أعلن رئيس وزرائها كير ستارمر عزمه القيام بذلك في سبتمبر المقبل، إن لم يتحقق وقف إطلاق النار وتقدّم فعلي في مسار الحل السياسي، وهذا التحوّل في الموقف البريطاني الذي تبنى إقامة دولة إسرائيل من العدم ليس مجرد انتصار دبلوماسي للفلسطينيين، بل يعكس تغييراً في بوصلة بريطانيا نتيجة الوعي العالمي، الذي بات يدرك أن ما جرى منذ وعد بلفور كان ظلماً تاريخياً، وأن إنصاف فلسطين لم يعد خياراً سياسياً، بل التزاماً أخلاقياً وإنسانياً، هكذا تتغيّر مجريات الأمور بحسب مجريات التاريخ وظروف المرحلة التي تعالت فيها أصوات الحق وتبلورت عبرها بوضوح الصورة اللاإنسانية لبداية الاحتلال ومآلاته الكارثية.
إن الاعتراف الدولي المتنامي بفلسطين لا يكفي وحده لوقف الانتهاكات، لكنه خطوة ضرورية نحو إعادة الاعتبار للحقوق الوطنية المشروعة، وإعادة التوازن والسلام في المنطقة، وما بين وعد بلفور واعتراف العالم الجديد، تقف فلسطين شاهدة على قرن من الظلم وغياب الحق... لكنها أيضاً تقف على أعتاب نصر دبلوماسي طال انتظاره.
في هذا التحول الدولي المتسارع، برزت المملكة العربية السعودية كلاعب دبلوماسي أساسي في دعم الحق الفلسطيني بجهود دبلوماسية ورحلات مكوكية عبر وزير خارجيتها الأمير فيصل بن فرحان آل سعود في كل المحافل الإقليمية والدولية، بموقفها الثابت بضرورة إقامة دولة فلسطينية مستقلة على حدود 1967 وعاصمتها القدس الشرقية. وساهمت الجهود السعودية في توحيد الموقف العربي، وتعزيز التأييد الدولي لفلسطين، خصوصاً من خلال قمة جدة 2023، ومباحثاتها الثنائية مع الاتحاد الأوروبي ودول العالم وتعاونها الحديث مع فرنسا لتوحيد الموقف تجاه القضية الفلسطينية، فالمملكة ترى أن الاعتراف الكامل بدولة فلسطين هو مدخل حقيقي لإنهاء الصراع وتحقيق السلام العادل والدائم في المنطقة.
هيلة المشوح
فلسطين.. ما بين وعد بلفور واعتراف دولته!
5 أغسطس 2025 - 00:11
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آخر تحديث 5 أغسطس 2025 - 00:11
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
For more than a century, specifically on November 2, 1917, the "Balfour Declaration" changed the face of Palestinian history when Britain, through its Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour, issued a promise to establish a national home for the Jews in Palestine. This statement did not take into account the political rights of the indigenous population and merely referred to "not prejudicing the civil and religious rights of non-Jewish communities," in a blatant disregard for the existence of the Palestinian people.
This promise, which British historian Avi Shlaim described as "a colonial birth of occupation," was the spark for a long series of displacement, settlement, and conflict that continues to rage to this day. With the end of the British mandate and the partition decision in 1947, the Palestinians rejected the division of their land, leading to the Nakba in 1948, which saw the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians and the declaration of the State of Israel.
Despite decades passing since the Nakba, the Palestinian presence at the United Nations remained confined to the framework of the "Palestine Liberation Organization," until on December 15, 1988, the UN recognized the State of Palestine through resolution 43/177. Then, in November 2012, it was granted the status of "non-member observer state" with the support of 138 countries. As the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip escalated following the events of October 7, 2023, several countries reopened the file of recognition of Palestine. In May 2024, Spain, Iceland, Norway, and Ireland announced their official recognition of the State of Palestine, in a move described as "historic," which led to diplomatic tensions with Tel Aviv, which quickly withdrew its ambassadors and condemned what it termed "submission to terrorism." Today, with the growing international support for the Palestinians' right to establish their state, more than 147 countries around the world have recognized the State of Palestine, including 11 countries from the European Union. As for Britain, it is on the verge of official recognition, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing his intention to do so next September, unless a ceasefire is achieved and actual progress is made in the political solution process. This shift in the British position, which once embraced the establishment of the State of Israel from scratch, is not just a diplomatic victory for the Palestinians; it reflects a change in Britain's compass due to global awareness, which now recognizes that what transpired since the Balfour Declaration was a historical injustice, and that justice for Palestine is no longer a political option but a moral and humanitarian commitment. Thus, the course of events changes according to the flow of history and the circumstances of the era, where the voices of truth have risen and the inhuman picture of the beginning of the occupation and its catastrophic outcomes has become clear.
The growing international recognition of Palestine alone is not enough to stop the violations, but it is a necessary step towards restoring the legitimate national rights and restoring balance and peace in the region. Between the Balfour Declaration and the recognition of the new world, Palestine stands witness to a century of injustice and the absence of rights... but it also stands on the threshold of a long-awaited diplomatic victory.
In this accelerating international shift, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key diplomatic player in supporting the Palestinian right through diplomatic efforts and shuttle trips by its Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in all regional and international forums, with its steadfast position on the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Saudi efforts have contributed to unifying the Arab stance and enhancing international support for Palestine, particularly through the Jeddah Summit 2023, its bilateral discussions with the European Union and countries around the world, and its recent cooperation with France to unify the stance on the Palestinian issue. The Kingdom sees that full recognition of the State of Palestine is a real entry point to end the conflict and achieve just and lasting peace in the region.
This promise, which British historian Avi Shlaim described as "a colonial birth of occupation," was the spark for a long series of displacement, settlement, and conflict that continues to rage to this day. With the end of the British mandate and the partition decision in 1947, the Palestinians rejected the division of their land, leading to the Nakba in 1948, which saw the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians and the declaration of the State of Israel.
Despite decades passing since the Nakba, the Palestinian presence at the United Nations remained confined to the framework of the "Palestine Liberation Organization," until on December 15, 1988, the UN recognized the State of Palestine through resolution 43/177. Then, in November 2012, it was granted the status of "non-member observer state" with the support of 138 countries. As the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip escalated following the events of October 7, 2023, several countries reopened the file of recognition of Palestine. In May 2024, Spain, Iceland, Norway, and Ireland announced their official recognition of the State of Palestine, in a move described as "historic," which led to diplomatic tensions with Tel Aviv, which quickly withdrew its ambassadors and condemned what it termed "submission to terrorism." Today, with the growing international support for the Palestinians' right to establish their state, more than 147 countries around the world have recognized the State of Palestine, including 11 countries from the European Union. As for Britain, it is on the verge of official recognition, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing his intention to do so next September, unless a ceasefire is achieved and actual progress is made in the political solution process. This shift in the British position, which once embraced the establishment of the State of Israel from scratch, is not just a diplomatic victory for the Palestinians; it reflects a change in Britain's compass due to global awareness, which now recognizes that what transpired since the Balfour Declaration was a historical injustice, and that justice for Palestine is no longer a political option but a moral and humanitarian commitment. Thus, the course of events changes according to the flow of history and the circumstances of the era, where the voices of truth have risen and the inhuman picture of the beginning of the occupation and its catastrophic outcomes has become clear.
The growing international recognition of Palestine alone is not enough to stop the violations, but it is a necessary step towards restoring the legitimate national rights and restoring balance and peace in the region. Between the Balfour Declaration and the recognition of the new world, Palestine stands witness to a century of injustice and the absence of rights... but it also stands on the threshold of a long-awaited diplomatic victory.
In this accelerating international shift, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key diplomatic player in supporting the Palestinian right through diplomatic efforts and shuttle trips by its Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in all regional and international forums, with its steadfast position on the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Saudi efforts have contributed to unifying the Arab stance and enhancing international support for Palestine, particularly through the Jeddah Summit 2023, its bilateral discussions with the European Union and countries around the world, and its recent cooperation with France to unify the stance on the Palestinian issue. The Kingdom sees that full recognition of the State of Palestine is a real entry point to end the conflict and achieve just and lasting peace in the region.


