The Balfour Declaration
Introduction
The Arab-Israeli conflict that takes place in Palestine to this day is long battle fought for years all over the world. The most violent and well-known area for this conflict is in Palestine with the fighting between Israel, and Gaza. Due to the Balfour Declaration formed in 1917 by the British government, in cooperation with Egypt, the area known as Palestine has become a war zone between the Jewish and Arab people.[1] The purpose of this paper is to closely examine the Balfour declarations role in the conflict in Palestine, and the other underlying reasons for Arab and Jewish conflict. The actions by the British towards the end of World War I are key reasons for the conflict that occurs in Palestine to this day.
The Balfour Declaration
The Balfour Declaration was a declaration made in 1917. The Declaration said:
His Majesty`s government view with favor 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 will 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.[2]
This declaration underlined the British intentions to work with Zionist leaders in Europe in order to establish an independent Arab state in the area known as Palestine.[3] The idea of an Arab state in Palestine came from two things: the idea of a political and hegemony in the Arab nation that was loyal to Britain, and from anti-Semitism.[4]
There was no particular interest in Palestine by Britain until the start of World War I when the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers. The British during this time “were interested in the short term in gaining the loyalty of the Arab leaders against the Ottomans.[5]” However in the long term the British sought to establish a political and economic “hegemony” throughout the
The Arab-Israeli conflict that takes place in Palestine to this day is long battle fought for years all over the world. The most violent and well-known area for this conflict is in Palestine with the fighting between Israel, and Gaza. Due to the Balfour Declaration formed in 1917 by the British government, in cooperation with Egypt, the area known as Palestine has become a war zone between the Jewish and Arab people.[1] The purpose of this paper is to closely examine the Balfour declarations role in the conflict in Palestine, and the other underlying reasons for Arab and Jewish conflict. The actions by the British towards the end of World War I are key reasons for the conflict that occurs in Palestine to this day.
The Balfour Declaration
The Balfour Declaration was a declaration made in 1917. The Declaration said:
His Majesty`s government view with favor 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 will 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.[2]
This declaration underlined the British intentions to work with Zionist leaders in Europe in order to establish an independent Arab state in the area known as Palestine.[3] The idea of an Arab state in Palestine came from two things: the idea of a political and hegemony in the Arab nation that was loyal to Britain, and from anti-Semitism.[4]
There was no particular interest in Palestine by Britain until the start of World War I when the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers. The British during this time “were interested in the short term in gaining the loyalty of the Arab leaders against the Ottomans.[5]” However in the long term the British sought to establish a political and economic “hegemony” throughout the