The Balfour Declaration Is Issued
On November 2, 1917, British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour sent a letter to Lord Rothschild stating government support for a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.
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The Event
On November 2, 1917, British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour sent a letter to Lord Rothschild stating government support for a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.
The Wider Story
The declaration also referred to the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities. Its wording and its omissions became central to competing political expectations.
Putting the Event in Perspective
This was a British policy statement issued during the First World War, not a treaty establishing a state.
Reading the Historical Record
Its later consequences unfolded through the mandate period and the conflicting aspirations of people living in the region.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: a British government correspondence desk in 1917, documents kept too distant to read. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
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