Pe frontul diplomatic al Primului Război Mondial. 100 de ani de la apariția Declarației Balfour
On the Diplomatic Front of the First World War. 100 Years since the Balfour Declaration

Summary/Abstract: On November 2, 1917, Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour writes a letter to Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, expressing the full support of the British government for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. The expression of sympathy as regards Zionist’s objectives made through this letter by David Lloyd George government was one of the key decision of the First World War period. The reasons behind this decision were very different in nature and strategic substance. From spiritual-cultural point of view it includes a certain genuine belief in the righteousness of the Zionist cause. Through less than 60 words, the Balfour Declaration fostered a new paradigm within the overall geopolitical configuration after the war. A particular attention has been paid to the strategic objectives to rally the Jewish opinion from the United States, Russia and Germany in support for the Allied war effort. At the same time, the British decision do adopt this kind of path must be analyzed in conjunction with the operational developments occurred in the Middle East during the war, especially those affecting the Suez Canal. Within this framework, the control of Palestine was a key strategic point in British strategic thinking. From this perspective, Balfour Declaration should not be seen in isolation from the overall framework of British practical diplomacy conducted during First World War.

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