The Balfour Declaration . . .

To really understand the present day situation in what was once rather loosely called “Palestine” a sort of starting point might be the Balfour Declaration of 1917. And one needs to bear in mind that Declaration was made in wartime when the Government was under many pressures , and the Middle East itself was a tricky area with the collapse of the old Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Army being trained by German instructors. For more details Wikipedia is a good source of information at “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 favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rites 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 Balfour

About Ian

Retired Clergyman, and former RAF person. Lives in Kirkcudbright, SW Scotland. One wife. Two children, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren scattered across UK, Europe and the USA. Long time member of the European Movement, and latterly of the Scottish National Party. ""Here's to us; who is as good as us? Damn few, and they're all dead"
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