The Balfour Declaration: A controversial historical landmark

In the National Archives building in the United Kingdom, a document that changed history is preserved.

 

It is the letter sent by the British Foreign Secretary, Arthur Balfour, dated November 2, 1917, to Lionel Rothschild, one of the prominent leaders of the Jewish community in Britain, which is commonly referred to as the Balfour Declaration.

In this letter, Balfour stated that Britain viewed with favor the establishment of a national homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine and would do its utmost to achieve this goal.

He also requested Rothschild to convey this to the Zionist Federation.

With this stroke of a pen and without consulting the local population, Britain gave the green light to worldwide Zionism to begin implementing its plan to transform the land of Palestine into a state for Jews around the world.

But why did Britain take this step?

Among the many interpretations, one is that Britain wanted to secure the support of Jews during World War I, specifically Jewish Americans, to press the United States to enter the war on the side of Britain and its allies.

Additionally, Britain wanted to position itself in the Middle East, near the Suez Canal, and maintain a friendly group of supporters to protect its economic interests.

On the other hand, the Zionist movement had mobilized a significant number of influential Jews in Britain to promote their desire to establish a Jewish state among British officials.

As for the Arabs, they were not consulted in a step that set the stage for an ongoing conflict to this day.