Barack Obama’s Belfast speech was a shameful, distorted rewrite of Israel's history - opinion
Never mind 3,000 years of Jewish history, two Temples in Jerusalem, or centuries of Jewish longing for Zion. In Obama’s telling, the Jews somehow became interlopers in their own land.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama recently made a speech in Belfast, where he purportedly attempted to rewrite Middle Eastern history. His account portrayed the Jewish people's return to the Land of Israel as a story of persecuted European Jews seeking refuge, taking Palestinian land, and provoking a demand for its return. However, the speech notably omitted several crucial aspects of Jewish history that are foundational to the land.
Obama failed to acknowledge the Jewish people's ancient connection to the land, which dates back more than 3,000 years. The Israelites were already established in the area by the 10th century BCE, forming a kingdom, developing their own language, and centering their national and religious life in Jerusalem. The biblical account and archaeological evidence, such as the Tel Dan Stele and Hebrew inscriptions, provide strong support for this claim.
The speech also neglected to mention the Jewish people's return to the land after the Babylonian exile in 516 BCE. Jewish communities have persisted in Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, and Tiberias, maintaining their religious and legal life throughout history. Despite the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the suppression of the Bar-Kochba revolt, Jews never abandoned their connection to the land.
They continued to pray facing Jerusalem, invoke Zion in their prayers, and express their longing for Jerusalem during the Passover Seder.
Moreover, Obama neglected to include the historical record of the Balfour Declaration in 1917, which endorsed a Jewish national home in Palestine. The League of Nations Mandate in 1922 further recognized the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine, acknowledging their preexisting connection to the land. In 1947, the United Nations voted to partition Mandatory Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.
Jewish leaders accepted the plan, while Arab leaders rejected it, leading to violence and Israel's declaration of independence in 1948.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
