Ninety nine years ago on November 2, 1917, Lord Balfour, Foreign Secretary of the British Government, wrote a letter that stated the British support to facilitate a Jewish homeland in the Middle East. This letter, the Balfour Declaration, is viewed as one of the founding documents of the State of Israel that was birthed some years later in 1948. However, the foundation of the formation of the State of Israel was not an easy task. It is important to understand the historical context to the Balfour Declaration, but more importantly, whether it is considered a valid document under international law.
International law is defined as a set of rules that countries follow in dealing with one another. Since there is no world government, there is no
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World War I was fought between the Allies and the Axis powers. The British were on the side of the allies; Germany and Turkey were on the side of the Axis powers. Until this point in time, Turkey controlled the Palestine area. The British understood that it was in their best interests to harness the Jewish Zionist aspirations for their own purposes. Part of the Jewish world lived under German and Turkish rule. The Zionist headquarters were at that time in Berlin. Part of the Jewish world lived in the Russian territories, who were undergoing the pangs of revolution. The other part of the Jewish world lived in the USA, which desired to remain neutral. The remaining Jews lived in the Allied counties. They were under the influence that the Germans who used their influence with the Turks to promote the welfare of the Jewish population in Palestine. There were rumors that the Germans would soon recognize the Zionist dream of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The British felt that this would strengthen a world-wide support by the Jews with the Axis powers …show more content…
In the Balfour Declaration, the term “Jewish National Home” was defined to mean a state by the British government at the Cabinet session which approved the Balfour Declaration on October 31, 1917. That was also the meaning originally given to this phrase by the program committee which drafted the Basel Program at the first Zionist Congress in August 1897 and by Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist Organization. The word “home” as used in the Balfour Declaration was simply the synonym for a state originally adopted by the Zionist Organization when the territory of Palestine was subject to the rule of the Ottoman Empire, which involved a potential loss of this territory by the Empire . The phrase “in Palestine” was another expression found in the Balfour Declaration that generated much controversy. The referred to the whole country, including both Cisjordan and Transjordan. It’s irrational to think that the phrase could only mean a part of Palestine could be used as the future Jewish National Home, since both were created simultaneously and used interchangeably, with the term “Palestine” pointing out the geographical location of the future independent Jewish state. Palestine and the Jewish National Home were synonymous terms, as is evidenced
Since the Sykes-Picot Agreement at the beginning of the war, Palestine had taken on increasing strategic importance for Britain at this time. The British kept troops in Palestine because of its proximity to the Suez Canal and its location in the Ottoman Empire. The Zionists, who lived there, appeared as a potential ally that could provide a safeguard through the canal region. It was also felt that supporting Palestinian Jews would mobilize the Americas Jewish community and bring a stronger American support to the war. Furthermore, Although the British had committed to helping the Abrab motive in gaining independence, the much smaller Jewish community had strong political intellectuals that were incredibly persuasive. In November of 1917, one year before the end of the war, the British publicly declared their allegiance to the Zionist Jews with the Balfour Declaration. Among much surprise, the British in doing this pledged their allegiance to the Jewish State of Israel, which at the time was home to around 657,000 Muslims and only 59,000
The Balfour Declaration showed British support for the Jewish people; however, its ambiguity actually ends up hurting the Jews. The document clearly
This investigation assesses to the direct effects by the 1919 British Mandate System on Palestine. Tis investigation will discuss the tensions between the Zionists and Arabs and what role the British played in the conflict. It will also discuss the overlying events during the mandate of Palestine. This investigation will not discuss the Mandate System as a whole or other parts of the world being affected by it. The investigation is solely focusing on the impact on Palestine by the British Mandate.
The Balfour declaration was intended to bring together Arabs and Jewish by making a home for the Jewish population in Palestine. However, after the Balfour declaration was implemented Britain was being pressured to allow more Jews into Palestine during WWII. Britain realized that this might cause tension if they increased the influx of Jews into the state. This was the spark of the conflict between Palestinians and the Jewish communities. The conflict increased between Palestine and the Jewish populations, especially the Zionist, after Britain tried once again to settle peace for the situation with the Morrison-Grady Plan.
When Harry Truman became President, the last thing on his mind was creating a viable solution to the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. WW II had not ended in Europe, the world's first nuclear weapon was being created, and tensions were rising with the Cold War. In addition to these developing problems, few around the world saw what would be the longest lasting conflict of them all. It was this problem that Truman ultimately failed at resolving. Right before the end of World War I, Britain passed what soon to be called the Balfour Declaration. It was this document that would stir up trouble for decades to come. Right before the start of World War II, the League of Nations entrusted Britain with the Mandate of Palestine.After
Kacie Lee Tomasetti AP World P.6 4/29/18 ID #27 1. Balfour Declaration (661) The British government showed their backing of the establishment of a Jewish state by creating the Balfour Declaration in 1917. The declaration was made due to pressure from Zionists who wanted to establish Israel in Palestinian region and fight back the anti-Semitism.
The Balfour Declaration in 1917 had been proposed to "favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, but that nothing should be done to prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine." (8 IMFA) In 1916 many Arab areas including Palestine were under British control which excited the Jewish population about having settlements on either side of the Jordan River, yet at the same time worried the Arab population with the incredibly quick advancements being made on their land. It seemed as though no matter who was being pleased, the other party would continue to grow uneasy with the advancements made by the other. Jewish immigration to Palestine continued to grow significantly while the British mandate remained in effect primarily due to the mass of anti-seminisitc feelings spreading throughout
World War I took place in Europe in the early 19th century and was fought by Germany, Italy, Russia, France, Great Britain, and Australia-Hungary. These countries reasons for a war were nationalism, alliances, and militarism. Germany, Italy, Russia, France, Great Britain, and Austria-Hungary were all wanting the same thing, but they were too busy competing with each other to see clearly.
The Balfour declaration, published on November 2nd, 1917 perfectly encapsulates the Jewish struggle of assimilation. This declaration released by the British promised the Jews a state in Palestine. This was very controversial and upset many people. However the British deemed it necessary. Why, you might ask?
This was a result of the Balfour declaration, which promised a homeland to the Jews and vowed to protect the rights of non-Jewish people in Palestine. While Britain kept control over Palestine, remaining states such as Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria gained independence. The Balfour declaration essentially triggered a Zionist movement and encouraged Jews to migrate to Israel – altering the demographics of Palestine, as Arabs had previously been the majority population. As conflict between the Arab and Jewish population started emerging, the “Irgun” emerged as a Jewish guerrilla force. Eventually the British withdrew after World War 2 in 1948 and left Israel more land than agreed on under the UN plan and this enforced the repositioning of thousands of Palestinians. In response, the Arab nations rejected the state of Israel and its claims over Palestine and conflict was physically ignited in the 1956 Israel invasion of Sinai. This demonstrates how the violent conflict between the Arab and Jewish communities is largely caused by the political and social contentions of the
World War II left Europe in ruins and devastated those who lived there, but nobody was more affected than the Jews. When the war ended, the U.S. and other countries revealed to the world the amount of torture and mistreatment the Jews suffered under Nazi control. Many wanted to help these suffering outcasts, so Jewish Zionists suggested the Jews be relocated to Palestine, where they could live in peace away from others(Devine, 1). Britain and President Truman felt sympathetic for the Jews, and decided to help them establish a new Jewish homeland in the Middle East. During the formation of Israel, the U.S. played a big role by establishing a committee, supporting U.N. and Jewish intentions, and recognizing Israel as a
The end of the 19th century brought with it the rise of Arab nationalism and Zionism, which called for the existence of a permanent Jewish State. Herzl’s 1896 manifesto “The Jewish State”, popularized the idea of Isaac’s promised land and influenced the Jewish peoples of Eastern Europe and Russia to proclaim Israel their own. The Jewish people took their first steps
Over the next couple of years there was an anti-Zionist movement halted any advancement of the declaration. This anti-Zionist was a result of fear that by British condoning Zionism it would start a threat to the Jews who had settled in Europe and America. The other fear is the thought that it would also encourage anti-Semitic violence in the countries that were fighting Britain. This anti-Zionist movement was stopped and after sometime gained the approval of France, the United States and Italy the British government continued on with its plan.
Taking this into consideration, dealing with external activities of a state, international law has extensive latitude. In Article 38 (1) of the Statue of the International Court of Justice, the following sources of international law are acknowledged: (a) international conventions, whether general or particular, establishing rules expressly recognized by the contesting States; (b) international custom, as evidence of a general practice accepted as law; (c) the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations; (d) ... judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations, subsidiary means for the determination of rules of law (36). Sources having a technical meaning related to the law making process and must not be confused with information sources, research sources or bibliographies on international law (35). Rules expressed and recognized by consenting states are referred to as treaties and/or conventions. Treaties are codified agreements established by consenting states as means of resolving a dispute or to recognize mutual interests. Since treaties are codified, they are favored over customary law; therefore, becoming a vital part of building a more stable foundation for international law. States are required to meet their international obligations as well as formulate efforts to
The outbreak of World War I, created new opportunities to reshape the Middle East. That being said, it also lead to the Zionist movement goal was to create a Jewish state in Palestine. Since 1948, Israel's occupation has been ethnically cleansing Palestine by building illegal settlements on Palestinian land, enforcing discriminatory restrictions on Palestinians’ human rights, and by controlling almost all aspects of Palestinians.