The balfour declaration was a letter dated 2 november 1917 from the united kingdoms foreign secretary arthur james balfour to walter rothschild, 2nd baron rothschild, a leader of the british jewish community, for transmission to the zionist federation of great britain and ireland. The balfour declaration world war i document archive. Nov 02, 2017 the declaration was made in a letter dated november 2, 1917, from the uks then foreign secretary arthur balfour to lord walter rothschild, a leader of the british jewish community. 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. Oct 24, 2017 the balfour declaration was the result of a gentlemans agreement in which zionists promised to bring the u. The prominent jewish intellectual ar thur koestler, repeating a. Sahar huneidi reexamines the historical context of the 1917 balfour declaration and argues that the document was a work of calculated ambiguity. No one who follows the palestinian issue will be very surprised to hear of the call by mahmoud abbas to sue the british government over the balfour declaration of. 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. The balfour declaration as it became known, was a letter sent on 2 november 1917 by the then foreign secretary, arthur james balfour, to the jewish community leader lord rothschild. A march in support of the balfour declaration in 1917, in front of the parliament building in toronto canada. Balfour declaration uknonun document 2 november 1917. The issuance of the declaration had many long lasting consequences, and was a key moment in the lead. The balfour declaration led the league of nations to entrust the united kingdom with the palestine mandate in 1922.
Zionist jews sanction to populate palestine the british government first had contact with the zionist movement 1 in 1902, but the first murmurings about the idea of the restoration of the jews to palestine had surfaced some 60 years earlier. Library special balfour declaration, 1917 on november 2, 1917, foreign secretary arthur james balfour wrote a letter to britains most illustrious jewish citizen, baron lionel walter rothschild, expressing the british governments support for a jewish homeland in palestine. The balfour declaration dated 2 november 1917 was a letter from the united kingdoms foreign secretary arthur james balfour to baron rothschild walter rothschild, 2nd baron rothschild, a leader of the british jewish community, for transmission to the zionist federation of great britain and ireland. The balfour declaration november 2, 1917 during the first world war, british policy became gradually committed to the idea of establishing a jewish home in palestine eretz yisrael. Balfour declaration, statement on november 2, 1917, of british support for the establishment in palestine of a national home for jewish people.
The man in the shiny black top hat is rabbi yosef weinreb, the chief rabbi of. The balfour declaration, november 1917 the balfour project. The middle east and north africa in world politics, a documentary record. 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 was the first major political triumph of zionism and the culmination of jewish independent political activity until that time. Foreign office november 2nd, 1917 dear lord rothschild, i have much pleasure in conveying to.
The letter expressed support for the establishment in palestine of a national home for the jewish people. 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. As it finally emerged, the balfour declaration was a single paragraph enclosed in a letter to the second baron rothschild, a british member of a prominent banking family who was a supporter of the zionist movement. 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. Background to the declaration the balfour declaration was the jewish. Their interests, passions and concerns, trivial or important to them, are not at all related to the con. The balfour declaration of 1917 was a policy by the government of the united kingdom to discuss the partitioning of the ottoman empire after world war i. After discussions in the british cabinet, and consultation with zionist leaders, the decision was made known in the form of a letter by arthur james lord balfour to. On april 24, 1920, the supreme council of the principal allied powers in the san remo resolutions incorporated verbatim the words of the balfour declaration. By 1917, when the balfour declaration the declaration was published, zionism had crossparty support in britain as well as government backing in france, america, and other countries, while the pending defeat of the ottoman empire which had controlled that geographic area for the previous four hundred years provided an opportunity. They had before them the document produced by the zionist organisation on july 18th 1917 and other correspondence.
The balfour declaration had the weight of this consensus behind it, before. War cabinet minutes leading to the balfour declaration, 1917. The declaration came in a letter that british foreign secretary arthur james balfour sent to lord rothschild lionel walter rothschild, the honorary president of the zionist federation of great. Which of the following declarations have you heard of. The balfour declaration was a public statement issued by the british government in 1917. According to the mandate system created by the versailles treaty of 1919, britain was entrusted with. The balfour declaration was the result of a gentlemans agreement in which zionists promised to bring the u. Following the end of the war, three documents the declaration, the. Balfour declaration of 1917 simple english wikipedia, the. To place a jewish state smack in the middle of arab land and even in an arab country was a disaster waiting to happen which time has proved correct.
South africa and israels land grab with support of the british government the notorious land act of 19 deliberately impoverished the indigenous people of south africa by forcing them into unskilled labour on gold mines and. Jun 11, 2018 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 making of the balfour declaration palestinian return centre. The balfour declaration appeared to be in stark contradiction to american president woodrow wilsons fourteen points, a statement of principles for peace which became the blueprint for postwar peace negotiations, and the joint declaration issued by the british and french governments on 8 november 1918, in which they assured the peoples. In the case of the balfour declaration, the aliens are the european imperialists.
The declaration was quite simply just a letter from the foreign secretary arthur balfour to lord lionel walter rothschild, a jewish banker, which was made public in november 1917 for the zionist federation of great britain and ireland. I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of his majestys government, the. Sep 03, 2014 on november 9th 1917 the times published the minutes of the 4 war cabinet meetings where, what became known as the balfour declaration, was discussed. The dark forces behind the balfour declaration and its. British war cabinet records, situation in turkey, 15111917, g. The forgotten truth about the balfour declaration pdf scholars at. Library special balfour declaration, 1917 peace palace library. Balfour declaration 1926 page 4 of 14 defined by the government of india act, 1919. Oct 30, 2019 the influence of the balfour declaration on the course of postwar events was immediate. Nothing in the balfour declaration dealt with jewish statehood, immigration, land purchase or the boundaries of palestine. Eighty years ago, the british governmentthrough international bankersbrokered away the land and the future of the people of palestine in order to create a national home for the jewish people. Will palestinians sue britain over the balfour declaration of. What is the balfour declaration of 1917, how is it linked to. The hidden history of the balfour declaration on jstor.
A new feature was brought into the case in november 1917, when mr balfour, with the authority of the war cabinet, issued his famous declaration to the zionists that palestine should be the national home of the jewish people, but that nothing should be doneand this, of course, was a most important provisoto prejudice the civil and. The balfour declaration was more than the promise of one. May 26, 2015 the balfour declaration was a short letter by arthur balfour to arguably one of the most influential jewish families the rothschilds. Behind the balfour declaration britains great war pledge. The balfour declaration of 1917 my jewish learning. 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. The declaration also said that britain supported plans for a jewish homeland in palestine. The balfour declaration of 1917 history learning site. Balfour declaration war cabinet minutes appendix 17 october 1917. 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 man in the shiny black top hat is rabbi yosef weinreb, the chief rabbi of toronto at the time. Had lord balfour know what a terrible mistake he made in 1917 he would now be turning in his grave. It was sent in the format of a letter on november 2 nd 1917, written by british foreign secretary lord arthur james balfour and sent to lord lionel rothschild, a senior member of the.
In 1917 the balfour declaration was put into play, and was an agreement drafted by the british in attempt to create a jewish homeland in palestine. Since the balfour declaration constitutes the beginning of israels legitimation. Encyclopedia of jewish and israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from antisemitism to zionism. Behind the balfour declaration britains great war pledge to rothschild bankers this was the british governments promised payoff to the rotscgild bankers for their pressure on the usa to bail the brits out of world war 1, which the brits were losing. It was made in a letter from arthur james balfour, the british foreign secretary, to lionel walter rothschild, 2nd baron rothschild of tring, a leader of the anglojewish community. In 1916 and 1917, the allied powers britain, france, belgium, russia. The influence of the balfour declaration on the course of postwar events was immediate. Dear lord rothschild, i have much pleasure in conveying to you. 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. It was assumed that the letter gave the british governments support to the creation of a jewish homeland.
United kingdom 2 november 1917 foreign office, november 2nd, 1917. On november 9th 1917 the times published the minutes of the 4 war cabinet meetings where, what became known as the balfour declaration, was discussed. The balfour declaration, written as a letter on november 2, 1917, from british foreign secretary arthur balfour to british jewish leader baron lionel walter rothschild, pledged british support for. Zionist draft of july 12, 1917 his majestys government, after considering the aims of the zionist organization. The balfour declaration was a statement of support made by the british government for the establishment of a national home for the jewish people in eretz yisrael. His majestys government view with favour the establishment in palestine of a national home for the. The declaration was made in a letter dated november 2, 1917, from the uks then foreign secretary arthur balfour to lord walter rothschild, a leader of the british jewish community. The declaration was contained in a letter dated 2 november 1917 from the united kingdoms foreign secretary arthur. Wartime contingency and the balfour declaration of 1917. The balfour declaration was a short letter by arthur balfour to arguably one of the most influential jewish families the rothschilds. The territory remained under british control, but on the other hand the arabs were promised independence of the region. In 1917, there was not yet a league of nations or a.
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 balfour declaration 2 november 1917 hurewitz, j. In this letter of 2 november 1917, britains foreign secretary, arthur balfour, wrote to lord lionel walter rothschild, as a figurehead of the jewish community in. Supreme court justice louis brandeis played a key, hidden role.
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