EARLY SUCCESSES It was also thought that early Zionist planners recognised the increasing interest amongst imperial powers, such as the British, in the region of the Ottoman Empire where historic Palestine was located. As the
The Balfour Declaration The Balfour Declaration of 1917 was a public statement in which the British government announced its support for “a national home for the Jewish people” in the land of Palestine, at that time a part of the Ottoman Empire. November 1917 The declaration was made at a time when the tumult of World War I was encouraging imperial powers such as France and Britain to consider the futures of various territories around the world, particularly in the Middle East. With this background in mind, historians cite a range of strategic and ideological reasons for the declaration, including the presence of dedicated Zionists in the British cabinet, as well as the aim of gaining a foothold in the region.
Ottomans were on the decline at the turn of the 20th century, this interest
was increasing, and Zionists identified an opportunity.
The Balfour Declaration is perhaps the earliest concrete illustration of the way in which the Zionist project was entangled with imperialist interests, decades before the establishment of
the state of Israel. This was a significant initial achievement,
effectively making stated British and Zionist interests one and the same, while denying the political rights of the indigenous Palestinians from that same power. The declaration was later officially incorporated into the terms of the British Mandate of Palestine.
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