The contents of this letter became known as the balfour declaration. I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of his majestys government, the. The balfour declaration world war i document archive. 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. Palestinians seeking to sue britain over 1917 balfour. News of the balfour declaration reached palestine only with much delay after november 2, 1917. Sep 03, 2014 war cabinet minutes leading to the balfour declaration, 1917 posted on september 3, 2014 by admin 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 prominent jewish intellectual ar thur koestler, repeating a. Click here to request a free trial account only available to college instructors primary source readers. In 1916 and 1917, the allied powers britain, france, belgium, russia. Background to the declaration the balfour declaration was the jewish. 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.
Palestine was, at the time, a remote province in the disintegrating ottoman empire, with which. The balfour declaration internet history sourcebooks fordham. The balfour declaration was written on november 2, 1917, by arthur james balfour, the united kingdoms foreign secretary, to baron rothschild, a wealthy banker, politician, and leader of the british jewish community. The balfour declaration was the result of a gentlemans agreement in which zionists promised to bring the u. 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.
Since the 1970s we have the detailed daily white house files and no historian reports this story. It declared the united kingdom and the dominions to be. The middle east and north africa in world politics, a documentary record. A march in support of the balfour declaration in 1917, in front of the parliament building in toronto canada. 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. The hidden history of the balfour declaration on jstor.
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. This letter to lord rothschild, by the british foreign secretary arthur james balfour, was aimed at jewish. The making of the balfour declaration palestinian return centre. Consider the background to the balfour declaration of november 2, 1917, by which the british government committed itself to the creation of a jewish homeland in palestine.
The british government decided to endorse the establishment of a jewish home in palestine. Palestinians seeking to sue britain over 1917 balfour declaration the palestinians called on the arab league to help them prepare a legal file against the british government for issuing the balfour declaration almost 100 years ago. 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. The balfour declaration was a short letter by arthur balfour to arguably one of the most influential jewish families the rothschilds. A century on, the importance of the balfour declaration and the policies that accompanied it cannot be overstated. The palestinians, for their part, have marked the centenary by demanding an apology from great britain. The balfour declaration 2 november 1917 hurewitz, j. 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. The balfour declaration of 1917 my jewish learning. 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. 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. The balfour declaration, issued on 2 november 1917, is one of the most influential documents leading to the establishment of the state of israel. His majestys government view with favour the establishment in.
The balfour declaration was the first major political triumph of zionism and the culmination of jewish independent political activity until that time. 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. Media in category balfour declaration the following 23 files are in this category, out of 23 total. War cabinet minutes leading to the balfour declaration, 1917. 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 declaration also said that britain supported plans for a jewish homeland in palestine. Balfour declaration 1917 log in to see the full document and commentary. We call on her majestys government to openly apologize to the palestinian people for issuing the balfour declaration.
The issuance of the declaration had many long lasting consequences, and was a key moment in the lead. 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. 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. Balfour declaration, november 2, 1917, statement of british support for the establishment in palestine of a national home for the jewish people. The declaration came in a letter that british foreign secretary arthur james balfour sent to lord rothschild lionel walter rothschild, the honorary.
Foreign office november 2nd, 1917 dear lord rothschild, i have much pleasure in conveying to. The story and caption are both false as is the headline. Balfour declaration of 1917 simple english wikipedia, the. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. The balfour declaration of 1917 history learning site. 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.
British rule of palestine enabled massive zionist immigration until the late 1930s. But, in the consensus of the allies, there was the nucleus of a modern international order. Balfour declaration 1926 page 4 of 14 defined by the government of india act, 1919. The balfour declaration led the league of nations to entrust the united kingdom with the palestine mandate in 1922. The balfour declaration was a letter written in the name of. 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 forgotten truth about the balfour declaration pdf scholars at. Included in the war cabinet files relating to the balfour declaration are various letters written by edwin. 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.
Why the balfour declaration is still crucial monday, august 7, 17. The balfour declaration had the weight of this consensus behind it, before. Zionist draft of july 12, 1917 his majestys government, after considering the aims of the zionist organization. The balfour declaration, november 1917 the balfour project.
The man in the shiny black top hat is rabbi yosef weinreb, the chief rabbi of toronto at the time. The balfour declaration of 1926, issued by the 1926 imperial conference of british empire leaders in london, was named after lord president of the council and former prime minister of the united kingdom arthur balfour. On november 2, 1917, foreign secretary arthur james balfour writes an important letter to britains most illustrious jewish citizen, baron lionel walter. Sahar huneidi reexamines the historical context of the 1917 balfour declaration and argues that the document was a work of calculated ambiguity. 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. 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. Which of the following declarations have you heard of. The balfour declaration was a public statement issued by the british government in 1917. In 1917, there was not yet a league of nations or a united nations. The declaration was contained in a letter dated 2november 1917 from the united kingdoms. They had before them the document produced by the zionist organisation on july 18th 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 dark forces behind the balfour declaration and its.
Since the balfour declaration constitutes the beginning of israels legitimation. Comprising a single paragraph, the text became known as the balfour declaration. Balfour talked with brandeis, not wilson, and the anonymous reporter did not know that. The letter expressed support for the establishment in palestine of a national home for the jewish people. On 2 november 1917, british foreign secretary arthur balfour wrote a letter to walter rothschild, a leading figure in the british jewish community, expressing the governments support for a jewish homeland in palestine. It was assumed that the letter gave the british governments support to the creation of a jewish homeland. Not remarked in article as it stands or in 1917 declaration article as it stands. Will palestinians sue britain over the balfour declaration. Encyclopedia of jewish and israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from antisemitism to zionism.
Balfour declaration international encyclopedia of the first world war. Oct 30, 2019 on november 2, 1917, foreign secretary arthur james balfour writes an important letter to britains most illustrious jewish citizen, baron lionel walter. Nothing in the balfour declaration dealt with jewish statehood, immigration, land purchase or the boundaries of palestine. 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. Balfour declaration, statement on november 2, 1917, of british support for the establishment in palestine of a national home for jewish people. Why does the balfour declaration, written in 1917 during the darkest days of world war i, tug at our elbow, insisting we pay attention to it. 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. 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. 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. 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. Following the end of the war, three documents the declaration, the. 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. Balfour declaration of 1917 simple english wikipedia. The declaration came in a letter that british foreign secretary arthur james balfour sent to lord.
United kingdom 2 november 1917 foreign office, november 2nd, 1917. The balfour declaration was more than the promise of one. 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 content of the balfour d eclaration seems distant or downright ba. Balfour declaration uknonun document 2 november 1917.
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