Arthur James Balfour, non-Jewish "Father of Modern Israel"

While many have heard of the "Balfour Declaration", which led to the creation of the modern nation of Israel, what about the man himself?

He entered Parliament as a Conservative in 1879, and, being a favorite nephew of Robert Cecil, Lord Salisbury, he gained power in each of Salisbury's three terms as PM. He became PM himself when Salisbury retired in 1902. He resigned in 1905 due to disunity within the Conservatives over the question of free trade. However, he remained Conservative Party leader til 1911.

In 1906, he met, & was impressed by, Chaim Weizmann, a leading Zionist in Britain. (At that time, a "Zionist" was one who favored a Jewish sovereign nation.) During WW1, he briefly supported the Asquith govt. but soon turned to david Lloyd George, in whose ministry he became war secretary.

In 1917, he committed the act for which he's best-known today. He wrote a public letter to Baron Rothschild, head of the Jewish banking family in Britain, in which he declared Britain's support of a Jewish sovereign state. This became known as the "Balfour Declaration". It became the basis for Britain's lead in creating the modern nation of Israel. It is said that Balfour made the declaration in exchange for Weizmann's giving the secret of smokeless gunpowder to Britain during the war, but Balfour's support for the cause was genuine.

After the war, he was created an earl in 1922. He served twice as Lord President of the Council, a cabinet post, til shortly before his 1930 death.

He is hailed as the gentile most responsible for modern Israel's creation.

 

Thanx for the info! That saying's not used here. Not many yanks know who Salisbury or Balfour were, although Salisbury steak is very popular here.