The Balfour Declaration

What was the Balfour Declaration?

The Balfour Declaration was a statement issued by the British Government in November 1917.

What was written in the Balfour Declaration?

It related to Palestine which was a territory of the Ottoman Empire. It was designed to win American support for the war and undermine Ottoman control of the region. It had 3 main aspects:

• ❖ It pledged British support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
• ❖ It did not state what this homeland would look like.
• ❖ It stated 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.'.

When was the Balfour Declaration?

The Balfour Declaration was signed by the British foreign secretary, Arthur Balfour, on 2nd November, 1917.

What were the causes of the Balfour Declaration?

The Balfour Declaration happened for several reasons:

• ❖ Members of the British government believed good relations with the Jews were key to winning the war.
• ❖ There were numerous British politicians and public figures who were sympathetic towards the Zionists and their ambitions.
• ❖ The British and French had agreed to divide the Ottoman Empire between them in 1915, and had decided a state should be created in Palestine.
• ❖ The British believed relations between Jews and Arabs could be managed if the rights of all religious groups were respected.

What were the results of the Balfour Declaration?

There were 3 main consequences of the Balfour Declaration:

• ❖ Tensions between Arab and Jewish communities rose during the 1920s and resulted in several violent clashes.
• ❖ The most significant result was mass Jewish immigration from Europe during the 1920s and 1930s.
• ❖ The Balfour Declaration offered few real guarantees to the Palestinian Arabs.