Who was behind the Balfour Declaration?

Produced by Zena Tahhan

Assistant Producer Huthifa Fayyad

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This week, Palestinians around the world are marking 100 years since the Balfour Declaration was issued on November 2,
1917.

The Balfour Declaration was a public pledge by Britain, declaring its aim to establish "a national home for the Jewish
people" in Palestine.

The statement came in the form of a letter from Britain's then foreign secretary, Arthur Balfour, addressed to Lionel Walter
Rothschild, a figurehead of the British Jewish community.

But the declaration was by no means formulated and decided upon overnight - rather, it had been in the works for years,
involved many people and was drafted numerous times before being sent out.

The pledge is generally viewed as one of the main catalysts of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948 and the creation of
the Zionist state of Israel.

Below, Al Jazeera examines the key players involved in realising the Balfour Declaration.

Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you. on behalf of His Majesty's Government,

Chaim David
Arthur Lionel Weizmann Lloyd
Balfour Walter
Rothschild A Russian Zionist George
The author of the
and later the first
Declaration. The prime minister
Rothschild was the president of Israel,
in the coalition
figurehead of the Weizmann’s
The English government
British Jewish contribution to the
aristocrat was between 1916 and
community and is British war effort as
serving as foreign 1922, Lloyd
the man to whom a scientist made
secretary in the George’s
him well connected
British government government issued
to the upper
when the the Balfour
Declaration was Declaration.
 issued and is the the Declaration was echelons of the He created the War
author of it. addressed. British government. Cabinet to make
major strategic
He played a central decisions during
role in lobbying the WWI and ensured
government to issue that the Zionist
the Declaration. project was on the
agenda.

Key photos
from the
era of the
Balfour
Herbert Declaration
Mark Sykes Samuel
Serving in the Said to be the first
British Jewish Cabinet
government’s War minister in England
Cabinet, Sykes in 1909, Samuel, an
acted as a key ardent Zionist, Nahum
introduced the idea
channel between
of a Jewish state to
Sokolow
British Zionists and
politicians. the British A Polish writer and
government as early diplomat, Nahum
He was highly as 1914. Sokolow traveled
involved in the widely to rally
negotiations that He worked closely support from world
led to the with Chaim powers to back the
Declaration and Weizmann and Declaration.
convincing the advised him on how
other Allied powers to further Zionist Most notably, he
to support it. aims in government met with high
circles. profile French
officials in May 1917
and managed to
convince them that
Palestine should
come under British
control.

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