The Balfour Declaration

The Balfour Declaration (2 November 1917) was a statement of support by the British Government, approved by the War Cabinet, for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. At the time, the region was part of Ottoman Syria administered from Damascus. While the Declaration stated that the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine must not be deprived, it triggered a series of events that would result in the establishment of the State of Israel forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes.