Cherished and hated by many, the Balfour Declaration is certainly considered one of the most controversial documents in recent history. In this first episode of a series dedicated to this document, I will discuss the origins of the Declaration and offer several explanations in the attempt to understand why the British promised a Jewish National Home for the Jewish people in Palestine, when in fact the British were just crossing the Suez Canal in their efforts to defeat the Ottoman Empire.

Bibliography suggested:

Lorenzo Kamel, Imperial Perceptions of Palestine (IB Tauris, 2020)

Gabriel Polley, Palestine in the Victorian Age (IB Tauris, 2022)

Lawrence Davidson, 'The past as prelude: Zionism and the Betrayal of American Democratic Principles, 1917-1948' (2002)

Jehuda Reinharz, 'Zionism in the USA on the eve of the Balfour Declaration' (1988)

James Renton, The Zionist Masquerade (Palgrave, 2004)

James Renton, 'Flawed Foundations: the Balfour Declaration and the Palestine Mandate' (2016)

Jonathan Schneer, The Balfour Declaration: the Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (2010)

Avi Shlaim, 'The Balfour Declaration and its Consequences' (2005)

Leonard Stein, The Balfour Declaration (1961)

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