Balfour Declaration
Arthur Balfour - His legacy, conflict between Israel and Palestine?
Arthur James Balfour born into an ancient East Lothian family will be remembered not as Prime Minister but for the content of a short letter-the Balfour Declaration.
In half a century of politics, Arthur James Balfour born into an ancient East Lothian family will be remembered not for his time as Secretary for Scotland or as Prime Minister from 1902-05 but for the content of a short letter written (Balfour Declaration) to Lord Rothschild in 1917.
Arthur Balfour was born on the family estate at Whittinghame near Haddington (Scotland) on 25 July 1848. His wealthy parents were part of two of the great aristocratic families of Scotland and England (Maitland and Cecil). As a young man he was sent to Eton College before finishing his education at Cambridge University.
Although both his father and grandfather had been members of parliament, it was his uncle the Marquis of Salisbury, a senior Conservative Party figure who persuaded him to stand at a by-election in Hertford in 1874.
After a minimum of campaigning he was elected and took his seat in Benjamin Disraeli’s final government. It was two years before he finally stood in a near empty chamber to deliver his maiden speech. He described the speech on the Indian budget as, “A dull speech on a dull subject.”
With political patronage much in evidence, the inexperienced Balfour became Parliamentary Private Secretary to his uncle who was by the Foreign Secretary. His appointment gave him the opportunity to gain valuable experience in international affairs when over the next few months he became embroiled in the Balkan crises as Serbo-Croats sought to overthrow their Ottoman masters.
By the spring of 1880, Gladstone’s Liberal Party swept the Conservatives from power and Balfour only just held his seat. His years on the opposition benches were not wasted and his progress said Sydney Zebel could be contributed to his, “ Intellectual ability and attractive qualities.”
Gladstone’s grip on power slackened after his failure to see the passage of the Home Rule for Ireland bill and the public outcry over the death of General Gordon at Khartoum.
The Conservatives were now led by Salisbury who became Prime Minister in 1885. Balfour waited for his opportunity, it wasn’t long in coming.
First President of the Local Government Board then Secretary for Scotland and then Chief Secretary for Ireland, a post he held from 1887 to 1891.
Many will argue that as a member of the British ‘ruling class’ he failed to recognise the need of the Irish for self-determination. Although he earned the epithet “Bloody Balfour” his term in office was recognised by his Conservative colleagues as one of outstanding success.
His career took him next to the Treasury before he became Leader of the House of Commons. He became Prime Minister in July 1902 and remained in the highest office for three years. He resigned in December 1905 after cabinet splits over free trade.
At the next general election a Liberal landslide pushed Balfour out of Westminster although he returned after a by-election victory. He remained party leader until 1911.
In 1917 as the world continued to tear itself apart the British Government wrestled with the problem of a new homeland for the Jews displaced during the brutal fighting in Eastern Europe.
Putting aside the promises he had made to the Arabs, support for the establishment in Palestine of a national home for Jewish people became British Policy
It fell to Balfour to write to Lord Rothschild (a leader of British Jews) to explain the Government’s position and asking him to bring the “declaration” to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
The “Balfour Declaration has remained one of the most famous or perhaps infamous historical documents of the 20th century.
