“I am very deeply moved by the eloquent words from this table to which we have just listened. I feel that a tribute has been paid me which is far beyond my merits, but I know that it springs from a pure well of sympathy and understanding which binds us together. And although I may not have deserved what is attributed to me, I feel that those words created a new bond of sympathy and understanding between us which will help in the great work which lies before us
ALL JEWS ZIONISTS IN AFRICA
“I come from a little country where the Zionist movement is very strong. There may be doubts and misgivings or even a difference of opinion in other parts of the world over this great cause. In South Africa there is none. In South Africa, all Jews are Zionists, and the Christians are pro-Zionists. And therefore, in addressing me as you have done, you do not do it merely to a person, but you do it to a people, to a country which has not only in words but in deeds, through its contributions, through its unwavering support to the Zionist cause, shown how whole-heartedly it supports that cause. It is a very remarkable fact which nobody knows, and therefore should be publicly stated, that next to the United States the country which makes the greatest contributions to the cause of Zionism is South Africa. I am here once more to bear evidence of the faith in me as a friend of that great cause.
“My friendship with the great cause for which you stand springs out of very deep sources. I admire your people for the contribution that you have made to the history of the world. Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Wise has spoken about an immortal people. I take my hat off to the smallest of people who have made a contribution to the advancement of the world. It is a wonderful people. I have stood in Palestine at certain points and viewed that little land, which is so small, that those who sit here as citizens of the United States have no conception of how small that country is. And yet, that small people, inhabiting a small homeland, made a contribution to the cause of humanity, such as no other nation has been privileged to make. So I take off my hat to this immortal people and that is the source of my sympathy. I know we are doing justice and showing the right sense of gratitude when we who are not of the Jewish faith and Jewish blood stand up for that great cause of that people for what they have done for humanity.
“Well, you have suffered, and you may suffer still. Suffering is the badge of your tribe. It is the badge of all great people—all great men and women. The word sacrifice is written large over human history, and you have never seen any great contribution made, any great service rendered where that word was absent. You have made many sacrifices and from that great sacrifice has been developed that great spirit which has guided you, which has kept you faithful throughout the ages, kept you on this great course and been a beacon light to millions and hundreds of millions of others who have seen that light lighted by you and have followed it.
TURNED TO THOUGHTS OF JEWS
“I remember in the great war the time when we gave our attention in London to this problem. As the war deepened, as the suffering deepened, as the sorrows gathered and darker clouds rolled around the world, it is curious how the thoughts of statesmen turned to the Jewish cause. It is a curious fact, but there it was. As we were involved in the darkest hours of history, our thoughts turned to the Jewish people, and we made a vow—one of the greatest vows in history, and it shall be kept. The document was a very brief one but it was very carefully considered. I remember at the time those of us who labored on that great formula, took our time about it. We elaborated on it, advised on it, went over it, consulted our Jewish friends not only in England but other parts of the world. After the British Cabinet agreed on it, we wired it to America to President Wilson and got his agreement to it. Therefore we had the greatest backing before us and the greatest backing behind us, in these most solemn deliberations—the greatest backing that could be given a people for this declaration.
TELLS OF DECLARATION
“It is not a small thing, not a hole in the corner. It was speaking before the great history of the world—dealing with the great history of the world, and we made this promise, this Declaration, which is called the Balfour Declaration: ‘His Majesty’s Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of the National Home for the Jewish people, and will use (these are the operative words) their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object.’ And you see, the Balfour Declaration was laid down not in vague terms or aspirations but with good will—no mere gesture but a definite constructive policy laid down: ‘His Majesty’s Government will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object.’
PROMISE WILL BE KEPT
“That is the promise. That is the policy, and it will stand. That was the first step. The next step was at Paris when this solmn promise had to be pushed a stage further and had to become the law of the world, so to say, when other nations had to bind themselves to this solemn pledge.
“At Paris the Mandate for Palestine was given to Great Britain, and under that Mandate the British Government is made responsible for placing the country, that is Palestine. under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure—as will secure the establishment of the Jewish National Home—and the development of self-governing institutions. Here you find not only the original promise made under the greatest stress to which the world was subjected, but solemn ratification of that promise and renewal by all great powers in the world taking part in the giving of the Mandate to Great Britain. Such policy must be carried out under this Mandate as will secure the establishment of the National Home.
NO WEAKENING ON PLEDGE
“In these days since August last the question has been put whether there is any doubt, whether there is any misgiving, whether there is any weakening on this promise,—this pledge originally made by Great Britain, supported by President Wilson on behalf of the American Government and finally ratified by the great powers in the Mandate—there has been question whether there is weakening, whether doubts have arisen, and I tell you this, so far as I am concerned, as one of the original projectors of this Declaration, and my knowledge of all that has happened since this document, this promise, this pledge, the Balfour Declaration will stand, and will be carried out both in the letter and in the spirit.
WAS LIMITED DECLARATION
“Only a month ago those of us of the British War Cabinet which took part in shaping this declaration, that is, Lord Balfour, Lloyd George, and myself, signed a solemn letter in which we once more drew attention to the doubts that have arisen, and once more expressed our opinion, and I am sure, we were voicing the opinion not only of the War Cabinet of 1917 but we were voicing the opinion of the present exponents of British policy—we once more laid down in the most unequivocal terms what the original intention was of this declaration. Now, it was a limited declaration. You will see the words are very carefully chosen.
“We never promised that we would undertake, or that the British Government would undertake to collect all the Jewish people of the world and place them in Palestine. We never intended such an undertaking. It would have been the height of folly if we had attempted any such thing. The Jewish people are not only a national people, they are the most national of all peoples, but they have this wandering tribute, this quality; they are also the most international of all peoples. They have not throughout history, lived only in Palestine, they have lived in many lands. The Diaspora has been just as significant of Jewish development as the homeland in Palestine, and the dispersion will, go on. Your international character will, in the future, as in the past, mean that the Jews will inhabit many lands. They will be a living light for the world among the nations, spreading the spiritual light, bringing the intellectual goods which are theirs to the rest of mankind.
NOT ALL JEWS IN PALESTINE
“We never meant to collect all the Jews in Palestine, and all that was promised here was that a national home will be established, and will be secured in Palestine for such of the Jewish people who want to go there; and why should not they go there? Why should there not be in their ancient homeland.—the country where they labored, the country where they worked not only for themselves but for the good of the human race—why should they not go, those of them who will, and continue to live as in their home, and continue the development that they may have in their own country, both spiritual and material?
WHAT DECLARATION PLEDGED
“What did the Balfour Declaration pledge? Not to bring all the Jews there, but to make a national homeland for those of the Jewish people who want to go there, and, to my mind that pledge carries two things: It means that such conditions must be maintained in Palestine for those who wish to go there, that those for whom there is an opening there can go there with goodwill, and not with any restraint. There should be no barrier for Jews who wish to go to Palestine Law and order should be maintained there in the proper sense. I think that it is implied in the undertaking of the national homeland that there will be such conditions to security that it might be looked upon fairly and rightly as a national home. I think that was part of the undertaking, and that undertaking was carried out.
NO POGROMS
No pogroms under the British flag. That was never intended, and although for a moment very regrettable circumstances may have created the impression that there is a change, I feel absolutely convinced in my own mind that there is no change, that law and order will be maintained in that country to the fullest extent that is required by the pledge to the national home.
FREE IMMIGRATION
There is a second thing implied in this document: that there should be an early and free immigration into the country. You cannot talk of a national home if the Jewish people cannot get back to Palestine, their national home. The home is the place you come back to. If you are excluded from it by conditions which make a return impossible, you cannot call it a home, and in my mind the second point, which is clearly implied in the Balfour Declaration, is implied to the extent which the resources of the Jewish people permit and the circumstances and resources in Palestine permit. The Jews will be free to return to their ancient homeland as their national home in the future.
It is a small country; it cannot absorb a large population. You may easily overwhelm it by over-immigration. That never was intended. Everybody knows the situation in Palestine, but those two points are clearly implied.
“The maintenance of law and order should give security to the minority and in the second place, the open door to immigration. I sincerely trust that this will be carried out in the future.
NO DECLARATION AGAINST ARABS
“There was no declaration against the Arabs. I am very sorry indeed that an impression is spreading abroad as to the policy of the national home, that it was conceived in hostility or antagonism to the Arabs. I think that the whole history of the war and of the settlements after the war, show that so far as the British Empire is concerned there has not been the least tinge of antagonism to limit Arab aspirations. Look at the state in which the Arabs entered the war, and see how they have emerged from it. It is said that Great Britain has broken her pledge to the Arabs. A new Arab kingdom was created as Damascus, and when that proved a failure for reasons into which I need not enter today, the British Government in order to show their unmistakable good will to the Arab cause established another Arab kingdom. The British Government went further. At Transjordania it established what in effect amounted to an Arab kingdom, in which Emir Abdullah today reigns.
“If any nation ever came out of the great war with flying colors it is the Arab people, and the same place which is reserved under the Balfour Declaration to the Jews in their ancient Homeland is no sign of hostility toward the Arab cause. I feel this, as far as the British Government was concerned at the time, and I was a part of it, there was absolute goodwill to both and we have carried out our promises to the Arabs and the British Government is equally ready to carry out its promises to the Jews. I am very pleased that in the speeches made here today the keynote of international goodwill has been struck. I am here on a mission of goodwill. I am here to water a plant which we planted in the tears of the great war when we made peace in Paris. That plant is growing, that plant is a tree which will yet cover the face of the earth. It is the great expression of human brotherhood, of cooperation of all races and all nations toward human betterment in the future.
ZIONISM LINKED TO GOODWILL
“I am pleased with what was said here that the keynote of international goodwill has been struck. When you speak of Zionists and claim certain rights as Zionists you do not do so in a spirit of antagonism to any other people. You link your cause to the great cause of goodwill. You want justice but no sense of injustice to Arabs or anybody else and to my mind it is possible to harmonize these claims.
CAN HARMONIZE VARYING CLAIMS
“It is an entirely human problem capable of solution. The problem of Arab and Jew is almost as old as history—certainly as old as Abraham. All through Bible times, all through the great historic times which have made you one of the great people of history, there have been these age-long contests between Jew and Arab. It is not a question of today. You read it in every chapter of the Bible, but we have arrived at that time when we boldly undertake to solve the old problems of other nations and we are going to tackle the problem of Jew and Arab. We are going to do it in a spirit of goodwill under the Mandate system, under the supervision of the League of Nations, which is going to be the guiding authority in these matters. We are going to solve the problem and we will carry out the pledge which was given in the Balfour Declaration.
JEWS MUST AID IN SOLUTION
“I know that if there is one people who more than any other can gain something from your immense human experience in all countries and all continents—if there is one people fitted to deal with this situation it is the Jewish people. And I want you also to make your contribution to the solution of this Palestinian question—of this ancient difficulty with the Arab people. I am sure that if Jewish genius so highly trained and gifted were to set itself to this problem of making peace with the Arabs in Palestine, you can work out a system under which that country may be your National Home and yet be at peace with the Arabs, and reach as high a destiny as it ever reached in Bible times.
MUST INCREASE JEWISH NUMBERS
“It is necessary that Jewish numbers should be increased. It is dangerous for the reason that the Jewish population is far too small. The disparity in number between Arabs and Jews is so great that there is a temptation to that great majority to be unjust and unfair to so small and so insignificant a minority. If Jewish members were largely increased if immigration were given free and reasonable play to my mind it won’t take more than a generation before the balance of the numbers will be so largely increased that injustice could not be administered with impunity. It is one of the things that will have to be done.
“You will have to help more than ever with financial contributions in order to accelerate a reasonable pace of immigration to the Jewish National Home. Not only will your material assistance be necessary there will remain the problem of statesmanship and making peace with the Arabs. I do not despair. I think that with the wise guidance of the British Government and maintenance of law and or-
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
