On this day, the British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour sent an official letter to the leader of the British Jewish community, Lord Rothschild, expressing support for the establishment of “a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine”. This letter, known as the Balfour Declaration, became the first declaration by a major power to officially support the Zionist movement and the idea of a Jewish state.

The Balfour Declaration not only instilled hope in the hearts of Jews around the world but also initiated a complex diplomatic process that subsequently led to international recognition of the Jews’ right to their own country. In 1922, the League of Nations, the predecessor of the UN, approved the British mandate to govern Palestine, thereby confirming the need to create a Jewish national home.

However, the Declaration also laid the groundwork for a conflict that remains relevant today. The Arab world perceived Britain’s statement not only as a territorial threat but also as a challenge to the Islamic world order, according to which lands that had once become Muslim should remain under Muslim governance. Thus, a conflict was born that went beyond a simple confrontation between the Jewish and Arab populations of Palestine, acquired sacred significance for Islamic civilization, and continues to this day.

Today, recalling the Balfour Declaration, we see how a bold political gesture made in the midst of World War I became the starting point for one of the most significant events of the 20th century — the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The Declaration reminds us of how one document can change the course of history, marking the beginning of a long and thorny path to independence and national self-determination.

Britain, despite the ambiguity of its subsequent policy in the Middle East, became the first great power to officially recognize the idea of establishing a Jewish state on its historical homeland.

Here is the text of the declaration:

Foreign Office, November 2, 1917

Dear Lord Rothschild.

I have the honour to convey to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:

“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country”.

I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours sincerely,

Arthur James Balfour.