Balfour anniversary

November 2... [marks] the 89th anniversary of the historic Balfour Declaration, the British government statement that marked the first international recognition of the goals of Zionism. It was a simple letter, addressed from the British foreign secretary, Arthur James Balfour, to a Jewish community leader, Lord Rothschild, expressing sympathy with the goal of Jewish national return to the Land of Israel.

An important anniversary, then, for the Jewish people and its friends. As the editorial in Forward goes on to note, the Declaration also contained another commitment; its fulfilment awaits the creation of a Palestinian state. (Thanks: AL.)