Balfour Declaration: 1917

On November 2nd, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour replied to a letter from Lord Rothschild, the head of the Zionist Federation in Great Britain dated July 18th. The letter included the final text of the Balfour Declaration, a document expressing British support for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine.

Earlier that year, on July 12^th, Nahum Sokolow wrote a tentative draft of the declaration [1] and sent it, and some explanatory comments to Lord Rothschild, the head of the Zionist Federation in Great Britain. Sokolow also sent the draft to Sir Mark Sykes and Sir Ronald Graham, both of whom thought the article was too long and covered too much.

On July 17^th, Sokolow met with members of the Political Committee and succeeded in cutting and revising the article. After the meeting, Sokolow wrote to Lord Rothschild saying,

" . . . It was thought that the declaration should contain two principles, (1) the recognition of Palestine as the national home of the Jewish people, (2) the recognition of the Zionist Organization."2 With this new insight, Sokolow revised the draft3 and sent it on to Lord Rothschild.

On July 18^th, 1917, Lord Rothschild sent this and a cover letter to Arthur James Balfour, saying, "At last I am able to send you the formula you asked me for."4 Balfour replied a day later, thanking Lord Rothschild for his letter and telling him that he would not be able to respond quickly, as there was much to be considered. By the middle of August, however, Balfour had a draft of the declaration completed. It was almost an exact reiteration of what Sokolow had written.5 The draft was written in the form of a letter to Lord Rothschild.

On October 31^st, 1917, the War Cabinet met to decide on a final document for the declaration. In their possession they had Balfour's declaration and two others: a revised text of the Milner-Amery draft declaration6, and the Curzon memorandum. After Balfour addressed two issues laid out by Curzon, concerning the inadequacy of Palestine as a home for the Jewish people or any other people, and the potential difficulty between the Jews and other people groups living in Palestine, a vote was taken and Balfour's revised draft was passed. Balfour was then instructed to make the declaration presentable to the public.

Two days later, on November 2^nd, 1917, Balfour wrote his official reply to Lord Rothschild's July 18 letter. In it he included the Balfour Declaration, much altered from the first document Lord Rothschild had sent him. The following is the official Balfour Declaration:

Foreign Office
November 2nd, 1917

Dear Lord Rothschild:

I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:

His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood 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.

I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours,
Arthur James Balfour7

The official reasons for British interest in securing a Jewish state are still controversial. Palestine, during that time was "a foothold in the Eastern Mediterranean."8 Some potential reasons for British interest in the establishment of a Jewish state include "the desire to maintain an open channel through the Middle East to its extensive possessions in India and East Africa . . . the need to keep the Russians in the war and persuade the Americans to enter the war . . . wanting to reward Chaim Weizmann, a brilliant chemist and strong Zionist leader, for his help in the war effort."9

Notes:

[1] His Majesty's Government, after considering the aims of the Zionist Organization, accepts the principle of recognizing Palestine as the National Home of the Jewish people and the right of the Jewish people to build up its national life in Palestine under a protection to be established at the conclusion of peace following upon the successful issue of the War.

His Majesty's Government regards as essential for the realization of this principle the grant of internal autonomy to the Jewish nationality in Palestine, freedom of immigration for Jews, and the establishment of a Jewish National Colonizing Corporation for the resettlement and economic development of the country.

The conditions and forms of the internal autonomy and a Charter for the Jewish National Colonizing Corporation should, in the view of His Majesty's Government, be elaborated in detail and determined with the representatives of the Zionist Organization. (Sanders, The High Walls of Jerusalem, pp. 558-59)

2 Sanders, The High Walls of Jerusalem, p. 559

3 1. His Majesty's Government accepts the principle that Palestine should be reconstituted as the National Home of the Jewish people.

2. His Majesty's Government will use its best endeavors to secure the achievement of this object and will discuss the necessary methods and means with the Zionist Organization. (Sanders, The High Walls of Jerusalem, p. 559)

4 Sanders, The High Walls of Jerusalem, p. 559

5 Dear Lord Rothschild,

In reply to your letter of July 18^th. I am glad to be in a position to inform you that His Majesty's Government accept the principle that Palestine should be reconstituted as the national home of the Jewish people.

His Majesty's Government will use their best endeavors to secure the achievement of this object and will be ready to consider any suggestions on the subject which the Zionist Organization may desire to lay before them. (Sanders, The High Walls of Jerusalem, p. 561)

6 His Majesty's Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish race, and will use its best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object; it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed in any other country by such Jews who are fully contented with their existing nationality [and citizenship]. (Sanders, The High Walls of Jerusalem, pp. 590-91)

7 http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/balfour.html

8 Shepherd, Ploughing Sand: British Rule in Palestine 1917-1948, p. 7

9 http://www.foigm.org/IMG/varner6.htm

Bibliography:

Sanders, Ronald, The High Walls of Jerusalem (New York, New York; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984), pp. 558-559,561, 590-591.

Shepherd, Naomi, Ploughing Sand: British Rule in Palestine 1917-1948 (New Brunswick, New Jersey; Rutgers University Press, 2000), p. 7.

MSN Research and Learning. "Israel (Country), VII History" In "Encarta" <http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761575008&pn=5&para= 52#p52>1993-2003.

Washington State University. "The Balfour Declaration" In "Resources for the Study of World Civilizations: Reading About the World." <http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/balfour.html>.

Varner, Will. "Behind the Balfour Declaration" In "The Friends of Israel: Israel My Glory."<http://www.foigm.org/IMG/varner6.htm>.

Researched and Written
by:
Rebecca Redinger
HIST 2260: The Modern World
September 11, 2003

Balfour Declaration

November 2, 1917

Notes:

Bibliography: