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✡ Preparations Ambiguous wording 25

also suited imperialistic Britain’s prag- ‘To Weizmann, the provisos emasculated the
matic style of negotiation.
Weizmann and the other Zionist text and made him wonder if he should not
leaders were dismayed by Milner’s new
version, but felt that it would be danger- have stood out for something stronger.’
ous to hold out for the original wording
and so delay the publication any longer
than necessary. mediately saw the weakness of the history’ – whether a more intransigent
Before the Cabinet meeting on 4 wording: “We on our part examined and stand on their part would have resulted
October, Milner’s draft was yet again re-examined the formula, comparing in a better statement. 8
altered with the aid of Amery to include the old text with the new. We saw the
a further phrase, this time to appease differences only too clearly.” 7 1 This paper is based on a book by the author
Arab concerns: “it being clearly under- A comparison of the texts ‘shows a entitled ‘The Ambiguity of the Balfour Declara-
stood that nothing shall be done which painful recession from what the Gov- tion: Who caused it and Why?’ 2013
The Future of Palestine: January 1915, HLRO,
2
may prejudice the civil and religious ernment itself was originally prepared Samuel Papers, Break up of Ottoman Empire
rights of existing non-Jewish communi- to offer’, wrote Weizmann. Apart from (Palestine) file, DR588.25, p. 144.
ties in Palestine.” the confusing ambiguity over what ‘a 3 War Cabinet Papers CAB 24/24/4 (GT1803)
These two pledges of the Declara- National Home’ meant, the final text Sept. 3rd 1917 & CAB/24/4 (no. 245) Oct. 17th
tion, the first to the Jews, the second to introduced the notion of ‘civic and reli- 1917 [National Archives]
Edwin Montagu, The Anti-Semitism of the
the Arabs were swiftly judged by the gious rights of the existing non-Jewish 4 Present Government, August 23, 1917, National
Foreign Office to be incompatible, but communities’. This could ‘be interpreted Archive, War Cabinet paper 24/24
nonetheless remained in the Declara- to mean such limitations on our work as 5 Lloyd George, D., War Memoirs of David
tion. By the time this final draft was completely to cripple it’. Lloyd George 1933-36, London: Oldhams
Leopold Amery, My Political Life, Vol. 11,
accepted by Cabinet, Weizmann and To Weizmann, the provisos emas- 6 1953, p. 116-17, London: Hutchinson
the drafting group were realising how culated the text and were a ‘bitter pill 7 Weizmann, Trial and Error: the autobiography
far it had morphed from the original to swallow’. It made him wonder years of Chaim Weizman, London: East and West
wording and how their deliberate am- later if he should not have stood out Library, 1950, p. 261
Weizmann, Trial and Error: the autobiography
biguity had backfired. for something stronger, and in his 8 of Chaim Weizman, London: East and West
Weizmann and Ahad Ha’am im- memoirs he calls it ‘one of the ifs of Library, 1950, p. 207