World Bulletin / News Desk

Having been part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, Palestine was occupied by the British during the First World War in 1917. Shortly after its occupation, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Great Britain, Lord Arthur James Balfour, sent a letter dated on 2 November 1917 to Lionel Walter Rothschild. Thus, the settling of Jews in Palestine commenced.

Knows as the Balfour Declaration, the letter to the Zionist leader reads:

Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you on behalf of His Majesty's Government the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations, which has been submitted to and approved by the Cabinet:

"His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."

I should be grateful if you would bring this Declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours sincerely,

Arthur James Balfour.

With this letter, the British government handed the predominantly Muslim Arab land of Palestine as a homeland to the Jewish people and laid the foundation for the establishment of a Jewish state in the region. Within a year, France, Italy and the United States offered their support.

Following this, Zionist leaders H. Weizman and N. Skoly officially declared the settlement of Jews to Palestine. However, the Jews did not just settle in Palestine. Terrorist organizations like Haganah, Irgun and Stern were set up to terrorize the Palestinian people. These incidents increased after the end of the First World War, as Palestinians found themselves intimidated and repressed on their own soil. At the end of the Second World War, the state of Israel was officially established on 14 May 1948.