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✡ Preparations Foundation Stone 35

Although the Balfour Declaration showed Britain’s intention to facilitate a

Jewish Homeland in Palestine, and Allied troops had made that possible

in their victories against the Ottomans, the Declaration itself had no legal

validity. It was left to the victorious powers at the end of the Great War

to determine what should happen to the captured territories.
Andrew Tucker guides us through the legal process

Foundation Stone

of the State of Israel

s the First World War drew to a close, with the impending col-
lapse of the Ottoman Empire in sight, Britain was engaged in
A intensive discussions with the other European powers, especially
France, Italy and Russia, regarding the potential division of the Ottoman
Empire. It was a period of great unrest; much was at stake. Britain desired
to gain the support of Jews in Russia and America. France had declared
its support for the restoration of the Jewish homeland in Palestine, where
it had been so many centuries before. This implied that they did not want
to implement the – initially secret – Sykes-Picot agreement , concluded in
1
1916 between Britain and France, by which they had divided their spheres
of influence in the Levant. The Peace Summit held in San Remo,
Italy, in 1920 created three ‘Mandates’
Since 1897, Zionist leaders had been in the Middle East
seeking the support of influential states ‘The Balfour
– including the United Kingdom – for British placed the City of Jerusalem
realisation of the ideal formulated in Declaration has under military control. The whole of
the Basel programme ‘to create for Palestine came under British control
the Jewish people a home in Palestine enormous legal in September 1918, upon the defeat
secured by public law’. After much in- of the Ottoman Empire. Martial law
ternal debate and consultation, on 31 significance to was imposed, until the British Civil
October 1917 the British Government Administration was established in July
decided to declare its support for the this very day.’ 1920 in anticipation of the Mandate for
Zionist dream. Palestine.
The resulting Balfour Declaration The League of Nations had been es-
was a political document and was nei- most contentious issues in the Israel/ tablished during the Paris Peace Confer-
ther intended nor effective to create Palestine conflict. ence in 1919. Inspired by US President
binding rights and obligations. And On the same day the decision was Woodrow Wilson’s famous Fourteen
yet the Balfour Declaration has enor- made by the Cabinet in London, British Points, the objective of the League was
mous legal significance to this very day. and ANZAC forces secured the town to create an international legal struc-
Without it, the State of Israel could not of Beersheba, opening the way for ture enabling political cooperation and
have been created, and the concept of a General Allenby to liberate Jerusalem maintenance of peace based on the self-
‘Jewish Homeland’ remains one of the a little more than a month later. The determination of peoples.