The United States has a long and storied history of supporting the establishment and recognition of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This support can be traced through the policies and statements of various US presidents, beginning with Woodrow Wilson and extending through Franklin D. Roosevelt. Farley Weiss and Leonard Grunstein’s book, “Because It’s Just and Right: The Untold Back-Story of the US Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel and Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem,” provides an insightful look into this evolution of US policy, highlighting the unwavering support for Israel’s legitimate claims to its ancestral homeland.
President Woodrow Wilson: The Foundation of Support
President Woodrow Wilson, serving from 1913 to 1921, laid the groundwork for US support of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Wilson was a proponent of the principle of self-determination, which he believed should apply to the Jewish people as much as to any other nation. He expressed his support for the Balfour Declaration of 1917, in which Britain committed to establishing a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. Wilson’s endorsement was pivotal, as it aligned American foreign policy with the Zionist aspirations recognized by the Allied Powers during and after World War I.
President Warren G. Harding: Formalizing Support
Wilson’s successor, Warren G. Harding, continued this policy of support. In 1922, the US Congress passed a joint resolution endorsing the Balfour Declaration and supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This resolution was a significant milestone, as it represented formal legislative backing for Zionist goals and further cemented the US commitment to the Jewish national project.
President Calvin Coolidge: Legal and Diplomatic Affirmation
President Calvin Coolidge, who served from 1923 to 1929, played a crucial role in the legal and diplomatic affirmation of US support for a Jewish homeland. In 1924, the US and the UK signed the Anglo-American Convention, which confirmed the Mandate for Palestine. This treaty, ratified by the US Senate and signed by Coolidge, recognized the historical connection of the Jewish people to Palestine and supported the reconstitution of their national home there. Weiss and Grunstein highlight this treaty as a cornerstone of US policy, demonstrating a binding legal commitment to the Zionist cause.
President Herbert Hoover: Continued Advocacy
Herbert Hoover, who served as president from 1929 to 1933, maintained the supportive stance of his predecessors. Hoover expressed his backing for Jewish immigration to Palestine and the development of the Jewish national home. His administration supported the Zionist efforts through diplomatic channels, ensuring that US policy remained consistent with the principles established by previous administrations.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt: Affirmation Amid Challenges
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency (1933-1945) spanned a critical period in Jewish history, including the rise of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. Despite the complex geopolitical landscape, Roosevelt upheld US support for the Jewish national home in Palestine. He rejected the British White Paper of 1939, which aimed to severely limit Jewish immigration to Palestine and restrict land purchases by Jews. Roosevelt’s administration, as detailed by Weiss and Grunstein, reaffirmed its commitment to the principles of the San Remo Resolution and the Mandate for Palestine, emphasizing the Jewish right to establish a homeland.
In a notable example of bipartisan support, a group of members from the House Foreign Affairs Committee urged the State Department to protest the British White Paper. They asserted that the British plan violated the 1924 Anglo-American Treaty, underscoring the US’s legal and moral obligations to support Jewish immigration and settlement in Palestine. Roosevelt himself, though cautious in public statements due to the delicate international situation, assured Zionist leaders of his support for Jewish aspirations in Palestine.
The evolution of US policy from Presidents Wilson to Roosevelt demonstrates a consistent and unwavering support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Farley Weiss and Leonard Grunstein’s book, “Because It’s Just and Right,” provides a detailed account of this support, highlighting the legal, diplomatic, and moral foundations that underpinned US actions. Each president, in his own way, contributed to the realization of the Zionist dream, setting the stage for the eventual establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. This historical continuity underscores the deep-rooted and enduring commitment of the United States to Israel and its legitimate claims to its ancestral homeland.