The Balfour Declaration

The Balfour Declaration: Empire, the Mandate and Resistance in Palestine

The true history of the imperial deal that transformed the Middle East and sealed the fate of Palestine

On 2 November 1917, the British government, represented by Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour, declared it was in favour of “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” This short note would become one of the most controversial documents of modern history.

Offering new insights into the imperial rivalries between Britain, Germany and the Ottomans, Regan exposes British policy in the region as part of a larger geopolitical game. He charts the debates within the British government, the Zionist movement, and the Palestinian groups struggling for self-determination. The after-effects of these events are still felt today.