This article can be downloaded as pdf file, here t he balfour declaration was a statement of support made by the british government the war cabinet for the establishment of a national home for the jewish people in eretz yisrael. In the last section we looked at the number of jews who fought with the british against the turks in the ottoman empire. The balfour declaration is a statement published november 2, 1917 by british colonial secretary. Dear lord rothschild, i have much pleasure in conveying to you. Benjamin h freedman the balfour declaration youtube. Encyclopedia of jewish and israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from antisemitism to zionism. Arthur james balfour,arthur james earl of balfour 1848 1930, which states that great britain supports zionist plans of jewish settlement in palestine and the creation of a jewish national home there.
By 1947, on the eve of israels declaration of independence, jews numbered 600,000. The forgotten truth about the balfour declaration pdf scholars at. I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of his majestys government, the. Many jews were very helpful to the allied cause and probably the most helpful of these was a man named chaim weizmann. On november 2, 1917, foreign secretary arthur james balfour writes an important letter to britains most illustrious jewish citizen, baron lionel walter.
Despite the document initially having no legal legitimacy zionists consider the balfour declaration their. A march in support of the balfour declaration in 1917, in front of the parliament building in toronto canada. Loved and loathed in equal measure, this was the letter that changed the future. Some historians say that the declaration was meant to protect british imperial interests in the middle east, some also say that it was antisemitic because some members of the british establishment wanted to get rid of jews in england and send them to palestine. Balfour declaration, history and concealment a talk by.
In 1894 after the dreyfus affair, the jews felt insecurity and felt that they needed their own land away from the europeans. Balfour declaration the balfour declaration, contained within the original letter from balfour to rothschild created 2 november 1917 1917 1102 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. Behind the balfour declaration britains great war pledge. The declaration came in a letter that british foreign secretary arthur james balfour sent to lord rothschild lionel walter rothschild, the honorary. Individual excess profits tax return for calendar year 1917 created date. The balfour declaration announced a british support in establishing a jewish homeland in palestine. Let avi shlaim compress the consequences of the balfour declaration into its devastation of the palestinian people. The british realised early on that mass immigration of jews into palestine would flare up tensions, and thus actually set strict quotas on the number of jews who could enter palestine. The balfour declaration influence on formation of israel. 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. For an expanded activity, you can have students also formulate responses to the declaration in 1917, 1922 after the drafting of the preamble to the articles of mandate for palestine and us congress endorsement of the declaration, 1939, and 1948.
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 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 was the first major political triumph of zionism and the culmination of jewish independent political activity until that time. The prominent jewish intellectual ar thur koestler, repeating a. In 1916 and 1917, the allied powers britain, france, belgium, russia. Nov 02, 2017 the balfour declarations significance is that it set british policy on a course grounded in a fundamental rejection of the rights of the arab palestinians. Britains failure in palestine can be at least partly attributed to the balfour declaration for that was the original sin. Since the balfour declaration constitutes the beginning of israels legitimation. Nov 09, 2017 in this talk atzmon elaborates on that which the historicity of balfour is set to conceal a century of jewish political hegemony in britain and beyond. Theresa may said she would mark the 100th anniversary with pride but other mps. This rejection of their rights ultimately manifested in a crime that was not unforeseen. What drove the british to issue the balfour declaration is a debatable question. British government also promised support to an arab independent nation through the mcmahonhussein correspondence. Balfour declaration, november 2, 1917, statement of british 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. The balfour declaration of 1917 was a policy by the government of great britain to discuss the partitioning of the ottoman empire after world war i. What is the balfour declaration of 1917, how is it linked to. It maintained that britains 1917 balfour declaration to support the establishment of a national home for the jews in palestine was extended in gratitude for weizmanns bringing to britain from germany a process of fermentation of horse chestnuts he was said to have invented. What was the balfour declaration of 1917 and why is it. November 2 marked the 97th anniversary of the infamous balfour declaration, a letter written in 1917 by britains thenforeign secretary lord balfour to baron. It was sent in the format of a letter on november 2 nd 1917, written by british foreign secretary lord arthur james balfour and. This was a letter written from the united kingdoms foreign secretary arthur james balfour who was the second baron of the rothschild family and who held this title in his name.
The balfour declaration had been talked about prior to the creation of the declaration itself. That was when the jews began the idea of creating a national ideology called zionism. The man in the shiny black top hat is rabbi yosef weinreb, the chief rabbi 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. The hidden history of the balfour declaration on jstor. Pdf balfour declaration, a century later researchgate. Balfour declaration 1926 page 4 of 14 defined by the government of india act, 1919. 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. Wartime contingency and the balfour declaration of 1917. Nov 08, 20 it is no exaggeration that the history of israelpalestine for the last hundred years has turned on the seminal balfour declaration of november 1917. Aug 17, 2017 at the time of the declaration in 1917, palestinianswhich were the nonjewish communities in palestineconstituted 90 percent of the population there. Hence, the jewishzionist dichotomy that balfour visualised in 1917.
The balfour declaration of 1917 my jewish learning. Media in category balfour declaration the following 23 files are in this category, out of 23 total. 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. Sahar huneidi reexamines the historical context of the 1917 balfour declaration and argues that the document was a work of calculated ambiguity. The content of the balfour d eclaration seems distant or downright ba. Included in the war cabinet files relating to the balfour declaration are various letters written by edwin. The declaration was a means by which to raise americanjewish support in the american war effort, as well as russianjewish support in the continuation of the war against germany. 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. Nahum sokolow nahum ben joseph samuel sokolow, hebrew. Obviously the arabs didnt agree with the terms of the declaration as they were promised independence in this land and definatly werent wanting to share it with the jews. The making of the balfour declaration palestinian return centre.
Nov 02, 2017 on the 100th anniversary of the balfour declaration, mei examines the impact this short letter had on the region and how it set the israelipalistinian conflict in motion. A copy of lord rothschilds initial balfour declaration draft, dated 18 july 1917, in british war cabinet papers from 1917. His majestys 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 nonjewish communities in palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed. The balfour declaration balfour s promise in arabic was a public pledge by britain in 1917 declaring its aim to establish a national home for the jewish people in palestine. The balfour declaration in itself didnt cause half as much problems as french policy in palestine. Balfour declaration at 100 international policy digest. 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. 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. Nov 02, 2017 what is the balfour declaration of 1917, how is it linked to the israelpalestine conflict and who is leo amery. 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. Which of the following declarations have you heard of. Balfours initial draft reply of august 1917 has been cropped off. In arabic there is a saying that something that starts crooked, remains crooked.
Apr 04, 2008 global context of the balfour declaration november 1917. 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. When the balfour declaration, which promised a national home for the jews in palestine, was issued by the british foreign office in november 1917, it was not clear what the declaration intended or what the policy vaguely outlined in it would eventually lead to. Undoubtedly, the balfour declaration sowed the seeds of the political. Balfour declaration uknonun document 2 november 1917. Lord rothschild initial balfour declaration draft and. 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. The declaration also said that britain supported plans for a jewish homeland in palestine. Thus the league of nations gave the declaration international sanction and legitimacy. The balfour declaration from the perspective of the palestinian people rashid khalidi, columbia university it is a great honor to be asked to speak here on the 100 th anniversary of the balfour.
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