Why Britain Did Not Abandon the Balfour Declaration

8 Pages Posted: 22 May 2014

See all articles by John Bernard Quigley

John Bernard Quigley

Ohio State University (OSU) - Michael E. Moritz College of Law

Date Written: May 20, 2014

Abstract

The declaration issued in 1917 by Great Britain favoring a Jewish national home in Palestine was a seminal event in shaping the Arab-Israeli conflict. Known as the Balfour Declaration, it was written into the mandate that the League of Nations gave Britain to administer Palestine, thereby according it international imprimatur. In reporting to the League on implementation of the Balfour Declaration, Britain averred that Jewish migration to Palestine could be carried out consonant with the rights and status of the existing population of Palestine. In 1923, however, the British Government carried out an internal, and confidential assessment that concluded that continued Jewish migration to Palestine would lead to violence and chaos. For reasons of its own national interest, Britain continued to implement the Balfour Declaration and continued to tell the League that Jewish migration could be accommodated peacefully.

Keywords: international law

JEL Classification: K33

Suggested Citation

Quigley, John Bernard, Why Britain Did Not Abandon the Balfour Declaration (May 20, 2014). Ohio State Public Law Working Paper No. 254, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2439319 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2439319

John Bernard Quigley (Contact Author)

Ohio State University (OSU) - Michael E. Moritz College of Law ( email )

55 West 12th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210
United States

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