Just a couple of things about the Balfour Declaration

Israelis and Israelis aren't notoriously good at explaining things. I'm not sure exactly why. So here's my version for anyone interested: There's a lot of misinformation and confusion around the Balfour Declaration. Since it's coming up on the 100th anniversary in a couple of weeks I thought I'd explain it in some detail. I'm an Israeli tour guide who regularly visits the British Museum and we talk about the Balfour Declaration as well as the entire story surrounding it. So here are a few points; \--------------------------------------------- The Balfour Declaration was not a decision, it was a public statement stating the British cabinet's decision \--------------------------------------------- The British government had been discussing a Jewish Homeland for 3 years, the Balfour Declaration was just the formal announcement of the decision to support the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. \--------------------------------------------- A Jewish homeland is not the same as a Jewish state, that's like saying that an American homeland would be the same as the USA. \--------------------------------------------- The declaration says nothing about the actual borders of the area that would become the Jewish homeland. They didn't discuss it, there is no information on the borders. \--------------------------------------------- The Balfour Declaration refers to the Jewish people as "the Jewish people", and the Land of Israel as "Palestine". This is important, as people who hate Israel claim that there is no such thing as a Jewish people or a Jewish ethnicity, only an Israeli nationality. They also try to claim that the land of Israel is called Palestine, not that Palestine is a part of the Land of Israel. \--------------------------------------------- The declaration also mentions that "that nothing should be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine". This is often mistranslated to "the rights of the Palestinian people". The British were referring to the local Arab population and other groups such as the Druze. There was no such thing as a Palestinian people at that time. The Palestinians began seeing themselves as a nation in the mid 20th century. \--------------------------------------------- The British government decided to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine because they believed that the Jewish people had a rightful and historical claim to the land. It had nothing to do with guilt over the treatment of Jews in the holocaust. \--------------------------------------------- The British were also very interested in protecting the Suez tunnel. They wanted a buffer zone in the area, and believed that a Jewish homeland under British protection would be a great way to create that. \--------------------------------------------- Some people claim that the Balfour Declaration was the first time that a country supported the creation of a Jewish homeland in Zion. That's not true, the first country to officially support the idea was Portugal, who did so in the late 19th century. \--------------------------------------------- Theodor Hartzl was the first person to suggest the creation of a Jewish state. He wasn't a Zionist, he was an assimilated journalist and playwright who didn't believe that the Jews could ever be accepted in European society. Before WWI, he tried to get the Ottomans to allow the creation of a Jewish state. When that failed, he tried other locations, but believed that Palestine would be the best location. \--------------------------------------------- Chaim Weizmann was the one who convinced the British government to create a Jewish homeland. He was a Palestinian Jew (that is a Jew who lived in Palestine) who was a professor of chemistry in Manchester. He helped the British to overcome a few challenges, so they were in his debt. He decided to use that debt to get them to support the creation of a Jewish homeland. \--------------------------------------------- King Faisal of Iraq, who was the leader of the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire, supported the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine on the condition that the rest of the Middle East would remain independent of European rule. \--------------------------------------------- The Balfour Declaration was adopted by the League of Nations Mandate in 1920, which is how the British Mandate of Palestine came into being. \--------------------------------------------- In 1921, the British created Transjordan, which is now called Jordan, as a homeland for the Palestinian Arabs. \--------------------------------------------- In 1937 the British suggested dividing the Western part of Palestine into two states; one Jewish, one Arab. The Jews accepted the proposal, Ben-Gurion called it a "step on the way to a Jewish state", the Arabs rejected it. \--------------------------------------------- The Balfour Declaration is not legally binding, and was never intended to be. It was a statement of intent, and the beginning of a process. It is a historic event because it was the first time that a major world power had officially recognised the right of the Jewish people to a homeland in Palestine. \--------------------------------------------- Palestinians claim that the declaration was part of a colonialist attempt to create divisions between the Arab people. This is total nonsense; there was no such thing as a Palestinian people at that time, and Palestine was a British territory. Additionally, the idea of a Jewish homeland is not a colonial movement, but rather the opposite; the return of an indigenous people to their historic homeland. They also talk about "the Palestinian people" as if they had been there for thousands of years, which is a lie. \--------------------------------------------- So, that's that. Hopefully there's some new information there for you, and you can explain it to people who may not understand. Obviously the Jewish people have a deep connection with the land of Israel, but as far as international recognition goes, we are celebrating 100 years of official acceptance. Edit: I see this has caused some controversy, and that's not what I was going for. I wrote this for people who want information, and I hope that you found it useful.

Just a couple of things about the Balfour Declaration

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