Balfour Declaration

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: The Balfour Declaration was issued in the context of far-reaching changes in the makeup of Europe and the Middle East, as the great imperial powers jockeyed and vied for influence and advantage during (and after) World War I. Trace the power struggles that gave rise to the document and offer your opinion as to Great Britain's chief political motive for taking the position outlined in the declaration.
• 2.: It is argued that the Balfour Declaration was part of a muddled, contradictory, and ambiguous Middle Eastern policy on the part of Great Britain. On what basis is this argument made? Do you think that the document reflected incompetence on the part of British diplomats, or do you think that those diplomats were deliberately pursuing an ambiguous policy?
• 3.: To what extent was the Balfour Declaration an article of propaganda? Why?
• 4.: In the twenty-first century the Jewish state of Israel and its Arab neighbors continue to live in a state of hostility and conflict. To what extent can the source of that hostility and conflict be traced to the Balfour Declaration?
• 5.: Why did Great Britain in the 1910s agree to adopt a pro-Zionist position? Do you think that there was a single motive behind this decision or a mixture of motives? Were those motives noble, or were they selfish? Defend your position.