#130 British Mandate for Israel/Palestine

His Majesty’s government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours 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.

---

The Balfour Declaration (dated 2 November 1917) was a letter from the United Kingdom’s Foreign SecretaryArthur James Balfour to Baron Rothschild (Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild), a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland.

---

 #3. The League of Nations

After World War I, the League of Nations was established to help prevent war and to keep peace around the world. The 42 founding countries include:

 

---

 #4. The World Zionist Organization (WZO)

The WZO was founded on August 29, 1897 in Switzerland by many different Jewish organizations all over the world for the purpose of creating a country where Jews could live. They called this movement

“Zionism aims at establishing for the Jewish people a legally assured home in Palestine. For the attainment of this purpose, the Congress considers the following means serviceable:

(1) the promotion of the settlement of Jewish agriculturists [farmers], artisans, and tradesmen in Palestine;

(2) the federation [unified organisation] of all Jews into local or general groups, according to the laws of the various countries;

(3) the strengthening of the Jewish feeling and consciousness [national sentiment and national consciousness];

(4) preparatory steps for the attainment of those governmental grants which are necessary to the achievement of the Zionist purpose.”

---

 #5 The British Mandate for Israel/Palestine

The formal objective of the League of Nations Mandate system was to administer parts of the defunct Ottoman Empire, which had been in control of the Middle East since the 16th century, “until such time as they are able to stand alone.”^[5] The mandate document formalised the creation of two British protectorates: Palestine, to include a national home for the Jewish people, under direct British rule, and Transjordan, an Emirate governed semi-autonomously from Britain, under the rule of the Hashemite family.^[1]

The League of Nations stated that the Mandate for Palestine “should be responsible for putting into effect the declaration originally made on November 2nd, 1917, by the Balfour Declaration in favor of the establishment in Palestine a national home for the Jewish people, being clearly understood that nothing should be done which might 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.^[28]

The Mandate began in 1920 and came into affect on September 29, 1923.

---

#6 WATCH – An Introduction to the League of Nations 

---

#7 WATCH – What is Zionism?

---

#8 RESPOND AND REACT

1. When and where did the World Zionist Organization meet for the first time?
2. Who was the leader of the World Zionist Organization?
3. What was the purpose of the WZO?
4. What was the Balfour Declaration?
5. What was the League of Nations?
6. In what year did the League of Nations begin the Mandate for Palestine?
7. In what year did the Mandate for Palestine take affect?