Arthur james balfour, 1st earl of balfour, kg, om, pc, frs, fba, dl. The balfour declaration was discussed at the 1919 paris peace conference and again when the future of the middle east was ratified in the 1920 san remo treaty. Most jews, and certainly most british jews, were far from being zionists in 1917. After a whirlwind of diplomacy, the final draft of the balfour declaration is issued on oct. Memorandum of edwin montagu on the antisemitism of the present british. After montagu s attack, the text was changed to read the establishment in palestine of a home for the jewish people. 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. Edwin samuel montagu served as secretary of state for india between 1917 and 1922.
Balfour declaration, statement on november 2, 1917, of british support for the establishment in palestine of a national home for jewish people. 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. Why the world needs to know about edwin s montagu islam21c. The declaration was contained in a letter dated 2 november 1917 from the united kingdoms foreign secretary arthur. British antizionist jews reject the balfour declaration. Maxime rodinson, a jewishfrench scholar of the arab world. Declaration balfour introduction et texte reseau du. 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.
On 20 august 1917, he made a historic declaration in the house of commons defining the. Stating the british governments support for a jewish. Behind the balfour declaration britains great war pledge. Many of montagus objections would be reprised five decades later by. As we proudly approach the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the balfour declaration on 2nd november, rabbi sacks has recorded a short video reflecting on what this declaration meant in 1917, and what it means for us today. 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. It declared the united kingdom and the dominions to be. Montagu, who also happened to be a jewish antizionist, was keenly aware of. Rhett the balfour declaration, the document that set the stage for establishing the state of israel, was the product of months of wordsmithing and political jockeying. Oct 22, 2011 edwin samuel montagu served as secretary of state for india between 1917 and 1922.
In document after document of the state papers which mrs ingrams has brought to light the sordid proof is revealed that balfour and his colleagues knew exactly what the zionists were up to and that, with the honourable exceptions of lord curzon and edwin montagu, they had every intention of helping them. Lord rothschilds letter is dated the 18th july and mr. The evolution of its final wording sheds light on the goals and agendas of political powers in their advocacy for definitions of nation. This is the best that academic political history gets.
The balfour declaration was a public statement issued by the british government in 1917. This was followed in late august by edwin montagu, an influential anti zionist jew and secretary of state for india, and the only jewish member of the. It was the first statement of support by any government for zionist aspirations. The balfour declaration was a public pledge by britain, declaring its aim to establish a national home for the jewish people in palestine. It promised that britain would aid in the creation of a national home for the jewish. Thus the usa was used and its men died for the zionist cause. 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. The balfour declaration the origins of the arabisraeli conflict. I have chosen the above title for this memorandum, not in any hostile sense, not by any means as quarrelling with an antisemitic view which may be held by my colleagues, not with a desire to deny that antisemitism can be held by rational men, not even with.
In fact, british zionists prepared drafts of the statement for the consideration of the british government. For example, edwin montague, the secretary of state for india, was a. Aug 17, 2017 stein, the balfour declaration new york. 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.
Zionism, empire, and the balfour declaration dissent magazine. The letter was published a week later in the times. Jonathan schneer anchor canada random house, toronto, 2012. Balfour declaration faqs what was 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, and approved by, the cabinet.
Divide students into small groups and distribute the text of the balfour declaration. Oct 30, 2019 the influence of the balfour declaration on the course of postwar events was immediate. The repercussions of the issuance of the balfour declaration in 1917 are still visible in the world today. The ruthless pogroms carried out by czarist russia against the jews caused a large exodus. Memorandum of edwin montagu on the antisemitism of the present british government submitted to the british cabinet, august, 1917. He was strongly opposed to zionism, which he called a mischievous political creed, and opposed the balfour declaration of 1917, which he considered antisemitic and whose terms he managed to modify.
Abstractthis article proposes a new perspective on the much debated question of why the british government published the balfour declaration. 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 balfour declaration 1917 foreign office november 2nd, 1917 dear lord rothschild a french zionist, 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. Oct 24, 2017 the balfour declaration was the result of a gentlemans agreement in which zionists promised to bring the u. The declaration was prepared after extensive consultation with zionists. Balfour and lloyd george, for example, admitted in 1922 at a meeting with winston churchill and chaim weizmann, that the balfour declaration had always meant a jewish state. 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. Posted in 191520, documents tagged 1917, balfour declaration, lloyd george, lord curzon, lord milner, montagu, palestine, rothschild, war cabinet minutes, zionist movement comments off on war cabinet minutes leading to the balfour declaration, 1917.
Balfour declaration of 1917 simple english wikipedia, the. The balfour declaration was a public statement issued by the british government in 1917 during world war i 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. Jun 27, 2009 e rnest bevin, labours postwar foreign secretary, once told the zionist leader, david bengurion, that the balfour declaration of 1917 was the worst mistake in western foreign policy in the first. 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. A clause was also added protecting the rights of existing non. Zionism, empire, and the balfour declaration project muse. Supreme court justice louis brandeis played a key, hidden role. Even more importantly, the outcomes of the balfour declaration were not just important to the history of the future state of israel and the palestinian people, but to the entire global community both in the era of world war one and today. The third milner draft shown here was dated august 4, 1917. Balfour declaration international encyclopedia of the first. 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.
Stein, a barrister, was political secretary of the world zionist organization from 1920 to 1929. Did jeremy corbyn claim balfour declaration was imposed by. In fact, the one jewish member of parliament at the time, edwin montagu. After montagus attack, the text was changed to read the establishment in palestine of a home for the jewish people. Balfour and palestine, a legacy of deceit, by anthony. The balfour rothschild declaration peace is our true nature. The jewish refugees who had to be settled somewhere, sought to make a country for themselves. Like many british jews he was strongly antzionist, believing that an imposed jewish state in palestine would be unjust to the indigenous people and would also have the effect of weakening the claims of jews to british nationality. This was followed in late august by edwin montagu, an influential antizionist jew and secretary of state for india, and the only.
The balfour declaration, the document that set the stage for. The influence of the balfour declaration on the course of postwar events was immediate. Balfour declaration international encyclopedia of the first world war. Lustick and others published the balfour declaration a century later. His majestys government view with favour the establishment in palestine of a national home for the. The idea for issuing the balfour declaration was clearly lloyd georges idea but lord balfour was in total agreement with him on the matter. The statement came in the form of a letter from britains then foreign secretary, arthur balfour, addressed to lionel walter rothschild. Montagu declaration august declaration 1917 gktoday. Jan 23, 2018 barbour summarizes jeffries conclusions, that the balfour declaration was forced through britains war cabinet by balfour and david lloyd george, the prime minister, in the absence of edwin montagu, then visiting india. Accidentally relevant article pdf available in middle east policy 244. Barbour summarizes jeffries conclusions, that the balfour declaration was forced through britains war cabinet by balfour and david lloyd george, the prime minister, in the absence of edwin montagu, then visiting india. The balfour declaration led the league of nations to entrust the united kingdom with the palestine mandate in 1922. 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. According to the mandate system created by the versailles treaty of 1919, britain was entrusted with.
The balfour declaration was a letter from lord arthur james balfour, british foreign secretary to lord rothschild, head of the british zionist movement, sent november 2, 1917. The balfour declaration, issued on 2 november 1917, is one of the most influential documents leading to the establishment of the state of israel. Edwin s montagu the jewish mp who opposed the balfour declaration. The letter, known as the balfour declaration became the basis movement to create a jewish state in palestine. The balfour declaration has given rise to the notion, especially beloved by the left in both the west and the arab world, that zionism was a conspiracy between clever, devious jews and their imperialist partners. Montagus advocacy for tighter wording in any potential declaration was ultimately successful in at least establishing the rights of jews outside of. It is the same day that british forces capture beersheba, the start of their southern palestine offensive. It is now 100 years since the balfour declaration of 1917, a milestone event in the jewish movement for selfdetermination. The issuance of the declaration had many long lasting consequences, and was a key moment in the lead. Gk, general studies, optional notes for upsc, ias, banking, civil services. On 23 august 1917, when the question of fraudulently giving the land of palestine to zionists was discussed in the commons what was to be known as the balfour declaration, the only jew in the cabinet in parliament that day was edwin samuel montagu. The balfour declaration was a letter dated 2 november 1917 from the united kingdoms foreign secretary arthur james balfour to walter rothschild, 2nd baron rothschild, a leader of the british jewish community, for transmission to the zionist federation of great britain and ireland. Chaim weizmann the balfour declaration lesson plan central. Apr 06, 2012 the balfour declaration the origins of the arabisraeli conflict.
Jul 21, 2015 montagu didnt just oppose the balfour declaration. On november 2, 1917, james balfour, the british foreign secretary, issued what became known as the balfour declaration. 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 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 a letter from british foreign secretary arthur james balfour to lord walter rothschild. Montagu was the third british jew to enter the cabinet citation needed, the inner circle of government. Minister on december 6, 1916 and appointed a former prime minister alfred balfour foreign secretary who handled foreign affairs. It was made in a letter from the british foreign secretary to a leader of the anglojewish community and was later included in the british mandate over palestine. Everything seemed to be on track, but as balfour expert leonard stein notes, it would be more than three months until the first draft, which was drastically amended would. I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of his majestys government, the. At both balfour apology campaign launches, and in almost every single article written on the subject, one jewish name is mentioned as often as weizmann or herzl, and that is montagu. Dear lord rothschild these three words helped to change the course of modern jewish history and ultimately create the state of israel. Montagus opposition to zionism, which he called a mischievous political.
Using the guidelines for analyzing a primary source document, have students answer the five major questions in their groups. The balfour declaration was the result of a gentlemans agreement in which zionists promised to bring the u. Wartime contingency and the balfour declaration of 1917. E rnest bevin, labours postwar foreign secretary, once told the zionist leader, david bengurion, that the balfour declaration of 1917 was the worst mistake in western foreign policy in the first. The balfour declaration, november 1917 the balfour project. The declaration also said that britain supported plans for a jewish homeland in palestine. The making of the balfour declaration palestinian return centre. Hence, the balfour declaration settled for the jewish and nonjewish. The balfour declaration this letter to lord rothschild, by the british foreign secretary arthur james balfour, was aimed at jewish support for the allies in the first world war. Edwin samuel montagu was the only jewish member of the british cabinet at the time.