Abstract
On November 2, 1917, Great Britain was deeply embroiled in a life and death conflict with Germany in World War I. Concurrently it was in the closing stages of a successful campaign in Palestine and could look forward with some confidence to the occupation of Palestine and Syria, perhaps even to the liquidation of the Ottoman Empire. On that day the British government issued a cabinet statement known as the Balfour Declaration. In its single sentence Great Britain made a promise to the Jewish people to establish a National Home in Palestine, provided the religious and social interests of the local inhabitants (“non-Jewish communities”) were not jeopardized. A masterpiece of diplomatic vagueness, this document, whose origins I discussed earlier, dominated the interwar period considered here. This chapter examines the initial impact of the Balfour Declaration on the local Arab population.
Keywords
Formative Period British Government British Army British Policy British OfficialPreview
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Notes
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