balfour declaration
Dear Lord Rothschild, I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Signed: Arthur James Balfour
Balfour Declaration
The Balfour Declaration was written on November 2nd 1917 by the British in order to win support of the European Jews. In it, Britain supported the idea of setting up a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. It is an official letter from the British Foreign Office sent by Lord Arthur Balfour, the UK’s foreign secretary to Baron Rothschild, a leaser of the internationalist Zionist Movement declaring Britain’s support for the creation of a homeland for the Jewish people carved out of the British protectorate of Palestine.
During World War 1, the Allies made two vague sets of promises. First, they promised Arabs their own personal kingdoms in formers Ottoman lands, including Palestine. However Palestine, the same exact area, had also been guaranteed to them for siding with the allies in World War 1 and fighting against the Turks, who were fighting on side with the Germans.
As a result, Britain broke both of their “so called promises” made to the Jews and the Arabs. As a way to end the war and install peace throughout, The League of Nations gave Palestine to Britain for them to govern and take care of. Because of this, the Jews and the Arabs felt betrayed and were furious at the British government. In 1918, politics in the Middle East became more complicated due to the amount of Jews migrating to Palestine. The Arabs saw this as a common threat to their way of life as they witnessed the increasing amount of Jews moving to their region. As a result, the stage was thus set for conflict between Arab and Jewish nationalists.
Review Questions:
1) Why was the Balfour Declaration written?
2) What did the Balfour Declaration support?
3) Describe the "broken promise" given by the British.
Citations:
-"Balfour Declaration (1917)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.
-"The Balfour Declaration of 1917." The Balfour Declaration of 1917. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.
-"Balfour Declaration." Balfour Declaration. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.
Primary Source:
"Pictorial History: A Nation Reborn." - Aliyah Bet & Machal Virtual Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.