The Balfour Declaration, 1917
- Agreement by the British to set up a Jewish homeland in Palestine
• The Br. Mandate there remained under Br. Control
• The British had also promised the Arabs independence in the region
• 1918=60,000 Jews; 1939=630,000
• Beginning of the Arab-Israeli conflict
• *Sidenote* Turkey defeats Greece in 1920 in a war over Anatolia and a massive citizen shift occurs (1.5 mil)
Quote: ‘The centrepiece of British policy, that Britain would withhold representative institutions to Palestine as long as there was an Arab majority.’ Sir Martin Gilbert, . Irene and Hyman Kreitman Annual Lecture: ‘Sowing the Seeds of Jewish Statehood: Britain and Palestine, 1909-1922’, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, 29-31 May 2011
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Summary:
This declaration was the start to many problems between the Jewish and Arab population of current Israel or Palestine. The British had promised both the Jewish population and the Arab land which was a major source of conflict. |
Question: What would have happened to the Jewish people if Britain did not agree to setting up a Jewish homeland?
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