Sympathizers with arab claims to the land rejected the right of great britain to promise the land to the jewish people. Enquete le 2 novembre 1917, lord arthur balfour, alors ministre. The balfour declaration of 1917 my jewish learning. British antizionist jews reject the balfour declaration. The history of israel documents the balfour declaration.
The world war i connection excerpted from against our better judgment. Balfour declaration the balfour declaration, contained within the original letter from balfour to rothschild created 2 november 1917 19171102 location british library authors walter rothschild, arthur balfour, leo amery, lord milner signatories arthur james balfour purpose confirming support from the british government for the establishment in palestine of a national home for the. Balfour 18481930 the letter below is known as the balfour declaration as it was issued by arthur james balfour, the british foreign secretary 19161919 under david lloyd george as britains prime minister. Heres why the balfour declaration is important to understanding the israelipalestinian conflict. It took just over three decades, and the mass expulsion of most of the arabs of palestine from their homes in 1948, for these things to happen, but.
Dear lord rothschild, i have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of his majestys government, the following declaration of sympathy with jewish zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the cabinet. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. With the 100th anniversary of the balfour declaration, a number of books have been published covering the topic in different ways. On may 14, 1948, david bengurion, the head of the jewish agency, proclaimed the establishment of the state of israel. The declaration came in a letter that british foreign secretary arthur james balfour sent to lord rothschild lionel walter rothschild, the honorary. This is the most original exposition of the balfour declaration to date. Those interested in delegitimizing israel argue that the balfour declaration, and therefore anything based upon its validity, like the palestine. Sir isaac bayley balfour 18531922, a scottish botanist and son of john hutton balfour. Although people may try to deny it, there is a link between the balfour declaration and the fate of european jews during world war ii.
Balfour declaration, statement on november 2, 1917, of british support for the establishment in palestine of a national home for jewish people. The balfour declaration was a public statement issued by the british government in 1917 during the first world war announcing support for the establishment of a national home for the jewish people in palestine, then an ottoman region with a small minority jewish population. The balfour declaration from the perspective of the palestinian. Another would be the controversial haavara agreement or transfer agreement with nazi germany entered into by. The league of nations mandate under which great britain was given administrative control of palestine was from 1920 to 1948. The balfour declaration was penned 100 years ago, but its legacy still resonates in the middle east today. The balfour declaration was a letter written by british foreign secretary arthur balfour to lionel walter rothschild, in which he expressed the british governments support for. On november 2, 1917, lord balfour of great britain wrote a letter promising a jewish home to the jewish people in the land of palestine. Issued in london in 1917, the balfour declaration was one of the key documents of the twentieth century. The declaration was contained in a letter dated 2november 1917 from the united kingdoms foreign secretary.
Wartime contingency and the balfour declaration of 1917. The balfour declaration recognized not only the inalienable rights of the jewish people, but it also stipulated that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing nonjewish communities in palestine. The balfour declaration was one of several bargains entered into by zionists en route to the eventual declaration of the state of israel in 1948. In 1916, in the midst of war, britain and france signed a secret document agreeing that if they managed to conquer the holy land from the ottomans, they would partition the land fairly. The balfour declaration was a letter written by british foreign secretary arthur balfour to lionel walter rothschild, in which he expressed the british governments support for a jewish homeland. The land of palestine was ruled by many nations over the ages. Although the united states supported the balfour declaration of 1917, which favored the establishment. The balfour declaration influence on formation of israel the british letter that has sparked continuous controversy. It was made in a letter from the british foreign secretary to a leader of the anglojewish community and was later included in the british mandate over palestine.
No one can ever know whether the balfour declaration was essential or. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural. It committed britain to supporting the establishment in palestine of a national home for the jewish people, and its reverberations continue to be felt to this day. Some questioned its legitimacy, and subsequent british governments even ignored its intent. How christians helped bring about the modern state of israel. The claim for recognition of israel as a jewish state. We would, nevertheless, recall that by resolution ix of the imperial war conference, 1917, due recognition was given to the important position held by india in the british commonwealth.
Was used to create israel by alison weir m ost analysts consider wwi a pointless conflict that. The balfour declaration was the british governments pledge to help the jewish community build a national home in palestine and took the form of a letter penned on 2 november 1917 by british foreign minister lord balfour to lord rothschild, then serving bicom briefing the balfour declaration. While the nation of israel was born in a day in may 1948, it was the balfour declaration of 1917 that was central to its inception. The balfour declaration from the perspective of the palestinian people it is a great honor to be asked to speak here on the 100 th anniversary of the balfour declaration. The forgotten truth about the balfour declaration pdf scholars at.
Britain must atone for the balfour declaration and 100 years of suffering mahmoud abbas a century ago, arthur balfour signed away palestinians homeland and initiated decades of. The balfour declaration, november 1917 introduction one of the most important statements of british foreign policy of the twentieth century, the balfour declaration was no more than a short, vague letter that had no legal status. In november 1947, the united nations voted and approved the creation of a jewish state, and on may 14, 1948 the day britain withdrew israel declared its independence. The balfour declaration was a letter written in the name of the british government, by lord arthur james balfour, britains foreign secretary, to the leaders of the zionist. The balfour declaration led the league of nations to entrust the united kingdom with the palestine mandate in 1922. The events of 1947 and 1948, he wrote, seemed to overshadow the balfour declaration and to have more revolutionary consequences. His majestys government view with favour the establishment in palestine of a. After discussions within the cabinet and consultations with jewish leaders, the decision was made public in a letter from british foreign secretary lord arthur james balfour to lord walter rothschild. Encyclopedia of jewish and israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from antisemitism to zionism. The balfour declaration was debated and discussed in the years after its issuance.
The balfour declaration was the first major political triumph of zionism and the culmination of jewish independent political activity until that time. Palestine sera sous mandat britannique entre 1920 et 1948. And, while jewish zionists fought long and hard to make this happen balfour would not have come about without the support of christians. Conventional wisdom has it that the balfour declaration was all about zionism, that british prime minister david lloyd george and arthur balfour were nice guys, zionists both whatever. The balfour declaration became the foundation of the international support for the establishment of the modern state of israel. Balfour declaration 1926 page 4 of 14 defined by the government of india act, 1919. The infamous balfour declaration and the 1947 partition. Thus the league of nations gave the declaration international sanction and legitimacy. Just before israel became a state, it was ruled by the british empire. Sir graham balfour 18581929, victorian statistician and member of florence nightingales inner circle.
But in fact, by 1947 the zionists could not be stopped. The balfour declaration was also made in criminal disregard to history. Provisional government of israel the declaration of the. The contents of this letter became known as the balfour declaration. The balfour declaration was a november 2, 1917 letter from british foreign secretary arthur james balfour to lord rothschild that made public the british support of a jewish homeland in palestine. The balfour declarations century of turmoil consortiumnews. The balfour declaration of 1917 has been at the center of the arabisraeli conflict over the establishment of a jewish homeland in palestine. The balfour declaration has all the makings of a classic.
For 100 years the british statement, which inaugurated zionisms legitimation in the eyes of the world, has been seen as the isolated act of a single nation. The making of the balfour declaration palestinian return centre. As the foreword very properly reminds us, the palestine conflict began not in 1948 but in 1917 with the publication of the balfour declaration, and to understand the intensity of the hatred which exists today between the arabs and israel, it is necessary to go back to that crucially important watershed in the history of the middle east. The balfour declaration made clear that supporting jewish rights did not preclude the rights and liberties of the arab side.
The balfour declaration wis a single paragraph in a letter datit 2 november 1917 frae the unitit kinricks furrin secretar arthur james balfour tae walter rothschild, 2nt baron rothschild, a leader o the breetish jewish commonty, for transmission tae the zionist federation o great breetain an ireland. The british government decided to endorse the establishment of a jewish home in palestine. Balfour and palestine, a legacy of deceit, by anthony. Issued on november 2, 1917 by great britain, the declaration gave international recognition to the zionist movement and promised them a jewish state in the land of palestine. Britain must atone for the balfour declaration the guardian. Thus, the balfour declaration was, by any definition, a grossly illegal act. And then when the british issued their outline for how palestine would be governed, the contents of the balfour declaration were found in the league of nations july 1922 ratification of how palestine would operate, the articles of the palestine mandate. The balfour declaration was a public statement issued by the british government in 1917. The balfour declaration influence on formation of israel. Text of the balfour declaration jewish virtual library. The balfour declaration laid the foundation for jewisharab enmity that is now posing a major threat to the world peace. The dark forces behind the balfour declaration and its.
There is much speculation about the events that led to the formulation of this declaration. It had all started more than 30 years earlier with the balfour declaration, which had proved britains support of an israeli nation in the historical jewish homeland. Although this policy lasted until the british surrendered the mandate in 1948, it served only to highlight the fundamental difficulty for. This right was recognized in the balfour declaration of the 2nd november, 1917, and re. The balfour declaration was one of the first international declarations of the modern age.
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