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Balfour Declaration Balfour Declaration Not to be confused with the Balfour Declaration of 1926. 1 Background The Balfour Declaration was a letter dated 2 Novem- The basis for British support for an increased Jewish ber 1917 from the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary presence in Palestine was primarily linked to geopolitical Arthur James Balfour to Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron calculations.[1] 19th-century evangelical Christian beliefs Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for that the country should play a role in the Advent of the transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain Millennium and Christ’s Second Coming were not a pri- and Ireland. It read: mary motivating factor,[2] although they were later used as a retrospective justification.[lower-alpha 1] Early British political support was precipitated in the late 1830s and led by Lord Palmerston, following the His Majesty’s government view with favour Eastern Crisis after Muhammad Ali occupied Syria [4][5] the establishment in Palestine of a national and Palestine. French influence as protector of the home for the Jewish people, and will use their Catholic communities began to grow in the wider re- best endeavours to facilitate the achievement gion, as Russian influence began to grow as protec- of this object, it being clearly understood that tor of the Eastern Orthodox, leaving Britain without a [4] nothing shall be done which may prejudice the sphere of influence. The British Foreign Office worked civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish to encourage Jewish emigration to Palestine, exempli- communities in Palestine, or the rights and po- fied by Charles Henry Churchill's 1841-42 exhortations litical status enjoyed by Jews in any other coun- to Moses Montefiore, the leader of the British Jewish [6][lower-alpha 2] [6] try. community. Such efforts were premature, as Zionism was not to emerge within the world’s Jewish communities until the last decades of the century, spear- headed by the efforts of Theodor Herzl, a Jewish journal- The text of the letter was published in the press one week ist living in Austria-Hungary, whose efforts to gain inter- national support for his ideas were not to succeed in his later, on 9 November 1917. The “Balfour Declaration” [7] was later incorporated into both the Sèvres peace treaty lifetime. with the Ottoman Empire, and the Mandate for Palestine. With the geopolitical shakeup occasioned by the outbreak The original document is kept at the British Library. of World War I, the earlier calculations, that had lapsed The Sharif of Mecca Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi and for some time, led to a renewal of strategic assessments and political bargaining regarding the Middle and Far other Arab leaders considered the Declaration a violation [5] of previous agreements made in the McMahon-Hussein East. correspondence. Palestine is not explicitly mentioned in the correspondence, and territories which were not purely Arab were excluded by McMahon and Hussein, 1.1 Early Zionism although historically Palestine had always formed part of Syria. The Arabs, taking Palestine to be overwhelmingly Further information: Zionism Arab, claimed the declaration was in contrast to the let- ters, which promised the Arab independence movement Zionism arose in the late 19th century in reaction to control of the Middle East territories “in the limits and anti-Semitic and exclusionary nationalist movements in boundaries proposed by the Sherif of Mecca” in exchange Europe.[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] Romantic nationalism in for revolting against the Ottoman Empire during World 19th century Central and Eastern Europe had helped to War I. The British claimed that the McMahon letters did set off the Haskalah or “Jewish Enlightenment”, creating not apply to Palestine, therefore the Declaration could not a split in the Jewish community between those who saw be a violation of the previous agreement. The issuance Judaism as their religion, and those who saw it as their of the Declaration had many long lasting consequences, ethnicity or nation.[lower-alpha 3] The 1881–84 Anti-Jewish and was a key moment in the lead-up to the Arab–Israeli pogroms in the Russian Empire encouraged the growth conflict, often referred to as the world’s “most intractable of the latter identity, resulting in the formation of the conflict”. Hovevei Zion pioneer organizations and the publication 1 2 1 BACKGROUND of Leon Pinsker's Autoemancipation.[lower-alpha 3] the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and later [17] In 1896 Herzl published Der Judenstaat (“The Jews’ that year, the Ottoman Empire). State” or “The State of the Jews”), in which he asserted Following Britain’s declaration of war in November 1914 that the only solution to the "Jewish Question" in Europe, on the Ottoman Empire, of which the Mutasarrifate of including growing antisemitism, was the establishment of Jerusalem – often referred to as Palestine[18] – was a com- a state for the Jews. This marked the emergence of polit- ponent, Weizmann’s efforts picked up speed.[lower-alpha 8] ical Zionism.[10] A year later, Herzl founded the Zionist On 10 December 1914 he met with the British cabinet Organization (ZO), which at its first congress called for member Herbert Samuel, a Zionist,[lower-alpha 8] who be- “the establishment of a home for the Jewish people in lieved Weizmann’s demands were too modest.[lower-alpha 9] Palestine secured under public law”. Proposed measures Two days later, Weizmann met Balfour again, for the first to attain that goal included the promotion of Jewish settle- time since 1906.[lower-alpha 10] ment there, the organisation of Jews in the diaspora, the A month later, Samuel circulated a memorandum enti- strengthening of Jewish feeling and consciousness, and tled The Future of Palestine to his cabinet colleagues. The preparatory steps to attain those necessary governmental [10] memorandum stated that “I am assured that the solution grants. Herzl died in 1904 without the political stand- of the problem of Palestine which would be much the ing that was required to carry out his agenda of a Jewish [7] most welcome to the leaders and supporters of the Zionist home in Palestine. movement throughout the world would be the annexation Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, later President of the of the country to the British Empire”.[22] It was the first World Zionist Organisation, moved from Switzerland to time in an official record that enlisting the support of Jews the UK in 1904 and met Balfour during his 1905–06 elec- as a war measure was proposed.[23] [11] tion campaign in a session arranged by Charles Drey- Many further discussions followed, including a meeting fus, his Jewish constituency representative.[lower-alpha 5] between Lloyd-George and Weizmann in 1916, of which During the first meeting between Weizmann and Bal- Lloyd-George described in his War Memoirs that Weiz- four in 1906, Balfour asked what Weizmann’s objections mann: "... explained his aspirations as to the repatria- were to the 1903 Uganda Scheme. The scheme, which tion of the Jews to the sacred land they had made fa- had been proposed to Herzl by Colonial Secretary Joseph mous. That was the fount and origin of the famous dec- Chamberlain following his trip to East Africa earlier in laration about the National Home for the Jews in Pales- the year,[lower-alpha 6] had been subsequently voted down tine... As soon as I became Prime Minister I talked the following Herzl’s death by the Seventh Zionist Congress whole matter over with Mr Balfour, who was then Foreign in 1905,[lower-alpha 7] after two years of heated debate in the Secretary.”[24] Zionist Organization.[15] According to Weizmann’s mem- oir, the conversation went as follows: 1.3 Other British commitments “Mr. Balfour, supposing I was to offer you Paris instead of London, would you take it?" Main articles: McMahon–Hussein Correspondence and He sat up, looked at me, and answered: “But Sykes–Picot Agreement Dr. Weizmann, we have London.” “That is In 1915 the British High Commissioner to Egypt, Henry true,” I said, “but we had Jerusalem when Lon- McMahon, had exchanged letters with Hussein bin Ali, don was a marsh.” He ... said two things which Sharif of Mecca, in which he had promised Hussein I remember vividly. The first was: “Are there control of Arab lands with the exception of “portions many Jews who think like you?" I answered: of Syria" lying to the west of “the districts of Damas- [25][lower-alpha 11] “I believe I speak the mind of millions of Jews cus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo". Palestine whom you will never see and who cannot speak lay to the southwest of Damascus and wasn't explicitly [25] for themselves.” ... To this he said: “If that is mentioned. After the war the extent of the coastal ex- [27] so you will one day be a force.” Shortly before clusion was hotly disputed. I withdrew, Balfour said: “It is curious. The Lord Grey had been the Foreign Secretary during the Jews I meet are quite different.” I answered: McMahon-Hussein negotiations. Speaking in the House “Mr. Balfour, you meet the wrong kind of of Lords on 27 March 1923, he made it clear that he en- Jews”.[16] tertained serious doubts as to the validity of the British government’s interpretation of the pledges which he, as foreign secretary, had caused to be given to Hussein in 1.2 World War I 1915. He called for all of the secret engagements re- garding Palestine to be made public.[28] Many of the rel- Further information: Timeline of World War I evant documents in the National Archives were later de- classified and published.[lower-alpha 12] Among them were In 1914, war broke out in Europe between the Triple the minutes of a Cabinet Eastern Committee meeting, Entente (Britain, France and the Russian Empire) and chaired by Lord Curzon, which was held on 5 December 1.3 Other British commitments 3 The interpretation of the British Government regarding the 1915 correspondence with Hussein changed between 1918 and 1922.
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