Balfour Declaration 1917: Origin and Historical Background

Context: The Balfour Declaration is back in focus as the U.K.’s possible recognition of Palestine—108 years after endorsing a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

About the Balfour Declaration (1917)

• Issued by the British government during World War I.
• Declared support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
• Palestine was then part of the Ottoman Empire with a small Jewish minority.

Origins

• Came in the form of a letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild, a British Jewish leader.
• Officially published on November 9, 1917.

Historical Background

• Issued during World War I (1914–1918) as the Zionist movement was gaining momentum.
• Zionism aimed to establish a homeland for Jews facing persecution in Europe.

Why Did Britain Support the Idea?

• Strategic Interests: Palestine’s location was vital to protect the Suez Canal and the route to British India.
• Political Calculations: Hoped to win support of Jewish communities in Russia and the USA to strengthen the Allied war effort.
• Sympathy for Jewish persecution also played a role.

Why Is the Balfour Declaration Controversial?

• Britain promised the land it didn’t control – Palestine was under Ottoman rule.
• Contradicted previous British promises to Arabs in the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence (1915–1916), which promised Arab independence in exchange for support against the Ottomans.
• It recognised “civil and religious rights” of non-Jews but ignored their political rights.
• No Palestinian or Arab leader was consulted before the declaration was issued.
• Seen as the beginning of a long-standing conflict in the region.

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