Answers to Quora Questions by Yair Davidiy
Source of illustration: The Significance Of The Balfour Declaration
Britain at the time was the top dog on the block. The Balfour Declaration was issued in coordination with France and the USA. The Allies in World War-1 had finally defeated their enemies, or were about to do so. Russia had been neutralized after the Bolsheviks took over in October 1917. Russia was about to make peace with Germany and then find themselves in the midst of a Civil War.
The Empires of Germany, Austro-Hungary, and the Turks were on the verge of defeat and dissolution. The British Empire directly controlled about 20% of world population and indirectly much more of it. The USA and France also accounted for a good portion of the globe in their own right. The enemy nations were on the verge of collapse and about to have their fates dictated by the victors.
Australian Cavalry helped win the Battle of Beersheba on 31 October 1917. This was the beginning of the end for the Turkish control of the Palestinian area. The Balfour Declaration was issued on 2 November 1917. The Balfour Declaration was issued not only in response to Zionist and Jewish pressures. It was the fruition of the British Restoration Movement that had existed for centuries beforehand. There were elements among the British that had always wanted the Jews to have their land back. This was it. This was the National Genius of the British People expressing itself! The British at that point in time were able to speak in the name of all others. Once spoken the Declaration could not be undone. That is its significance. There was no going back. Whatever the Declaration actually said did not matter. The subjugation of the Land of Israel to the Gentiles was over.
See:
"The Vision Was There. A History of the British Movement for the Restoration of the Jews to Palestine" by Franz Kobler, 1956, London, http://www.britam.org/vision/koblercontents.html
http://www.britam.org/vision/Kob...
The Jews had lived in the Land until the Romans drove them out. The Romans had ruled a portion of the world at the time. Later European States were an evolution of Roman entities. The Jews had gone into Exile and at the best of times become the guests of Gentile Peoples. Once the Jews were granted their Land back, no matter what circumscribing it included, the Land was theirs. End of story. It went into effect legally and could not be revoked. This may be compared to the ownership of a slave in ancient times. As long as the slave belonged to someone else he/or she, was subject to the owner. Once being granted manumission the slave became the equivalent of the owner.
Once the Land was given back to the Jews it belonged to them.
Even today both Jews and Gentiles have not really woken up to this reality!
Perhaps none of us has?