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Arthur James Balfour and the Balfour Declaration


Highly recognised for his continuous support of the establishment of a Jewish national homeland in Palestine and the Balfour Declaration, Arthur James Balfour is one of the most prominent individual figures that contributed to the seemingly inevitable declaration of the State of Israel in 1948.

The Balfour declaration added a new dimension and even greater complications to the conflict between the Arabs and Jews in Palestine. The declaration was issued on November 2nd, 1917 on behalf of the British government announcing its support in the formation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It is contained in a letter from the British foreign secretary and former Prime Minister, Arthur James Balfour to a prominent British Jew, Lord Rothschild.

There are 3 distinct parts in the declaration. First, it favours 'the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people'. By this declaration it became blatantly obvious that the British government, in which Balfour had a strong influence, recognised the Zionist contention that Jews had a claim to Palestine as a national home.
The impact of the first clause of the declaration is somewhat lessened by the second which recognises the 'civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine'. Balfour intended to convince the Arabs that their rights would not be affected, thus the reason for the second clause os the declaration. All involved in this intricate declaration immediately saw that these two clauses could well turn out to be contradictory, which was exactly what transpired. It is found that this was the basic cause of Jewish-Arab hostility in Palestine until 1948. Instead of settling the aggression between Arabs and Jews, Balfour's declaration had the reverse effect. Jews were somewhat grateful for Balfour's intervention and support in the for the retaining of their 'rightful homeland', while the Arabs in Palestine despised the British government for allowing Balfour to intervene in such a manner.

Hebrews, now known as Jews, believe Palestine is their rightful "homeland" in accordance to their Holy Book, the Torah and their covenant with their God. This is where the conflict lies because Muslims believe that Palestine is their rightful land as is said in their Holy Book, the Qur'aan. Thus being part of the reason of the never-ending aggression between these two religious denominations and uprise of violence at the proposed declaration by Arabs.

This crucial affirmation of support by Balfour on behalf of the British government is often described as the first great achievement of the Zionist movement, and even as the foundation stone of the Jewish state. Even though this was seen as a great achievement by Zionists, it was also considered, by Arab Palestinians to be the utmost treacherous and betraying statement on behalf of the British government. Thus reflecting the influence and power Balfour exercised during the time of the issue of the Balfour Declaration and the way in which he chose to exert this power to support the formation a Jewish homeland in Palestine, a nation predominantly Arab.

Critics noted that while the 'civil and religious rights' of the Palestinian Arabs were to be protected according to Balfour's wording of the declaration, nothing was mentioned as to their political and national rights. In other words Arab Palestinians feared that they were to be ruled by Jews with political rights, while they had none.
What is recognised here is that Balfour used his governing power to support the wishes of Jews and Zionists alike by issuing this declaration with a lack of consideration of the Arab inhabitants and their wishes and rights.

The third clause of Balfour's Declaration is an acknowledgment of assimilated Jews for it says that their 'rights and political status' should not be prejudiced by the declaration.

In opposition to Balfour's Declaration was Edwin Montagu, the only Jew in the Cabinet at the time, and a man who was assimilated. He viewed Zionists as reflecting badly on their patriotism and believed that the Balfour Declaration intensified this problem. Montagu dismissed Zionism as 'a mischievous political creed untenable by any patriotic citizen of the United Kingdom'. The majority of Britain opposed Zionism, hence the opposition to Balfour's ideology and the opposition being the reason why the third clause was included in the Balfour Declaration.

The most important point about the Balfour Declaration is that it does not say the British government wanted to establish a Jewish state: The words 'a national home for the Jewish people' were not precise and were often considered purposely misleading on Balfour's behalf.

In many ways the Balfour Declaration was a product of the First World War and diplomatic thinking associated with winning it. It was hoped by Balfour's issuing this declaration that a strong British statement of support for Zionism all over the world to look on Britain as their saviour. More specifically the British Cabinet was afraid the Germans were thinking of issuing a statement of support for Jewish aspirations. When Arthur Balfour issued the Balfour Declaration it 'piped them at the post'.
The British Cabinet and its advisers had strategic considerations in mind. The implication in the Balfour Declaration was that there would be some sort of British control over Palestine, as a guarantor of its terms and Arthur James Balfour secured these stipulation's by his declaration.

Even though Balfour's contribution to the formation of the state of Israel in 1948 was centred on his famous Balfour Declaration, the statement implied many things towards the situation between the native Arabs and the Jews. Encompassing all the evidence presented it is clearly evident to see that Arthur James Balfour played a key role in the establishment in the Jewish state of Israel. Without his issuing the declaration Israel would not have been declared a state in 1948. The declaration set the foundations of Israel and the rights of its individuals. It recognised the want and need of a homeland for Jews and acted upon this view by issuing the statement. A lack of recognition and acknowledgment of the Jewish people would have resulted in a lack of a homeland, but due to the intervention of Foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour these rights were recognised in his declaration which built up support and aid needed to form a homeland for Jews.