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Britain’s Motivation

Why did Britain accept responsibility for Palestine?

Dr Kathy Durkin

Biblical prophecies also in parts of Europe; and the “of major concern

hroughout Victorian Britain and Ottoman empire being at the point
Tcontinuing into the First World of collapse. Moreover, during the was the protection
War, many Bible-believing Christians previous two decades, Herzl and
became increasingly convinced that the Zionist Organisation had been of oilfields and
biblical prophecies of a mass return planting the seeds of hope in both trade routes”
of diaspora Jews to their ancient Jewish and Gentile minds for a safe
homeland were about to be fulfilled, haven to be provided for the world’s
and that Britain, as the world persecuted and ostracized Jews.
super-power at the time, would be Imperial interests
politically strategic in bringing this The British government was keenly A second motivator for Britain was
about. All the signs seemed to aware of the prevalent public its determination to maintain its
be indicating this: growing anti- attitude, being as it was frequently post-war interests in the Middle
Semitism, especially in Russia but reflected in national newspapers East. By 1917, Britain was
and debates. already planning how to carve up
the Ottoman Empire into French

Lord Arthur Balfour, the Foreign and British mandates. Of major
Secretary in 1917 and a Bible- concern was the protection of both
believer himself, played a key the British-controlled oilfields in
role in advocating what was to be Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq),
called ‘the Balfour Declaration’ and the trade routes between the
which embedded these hopes Suez Canal and the British colonies.
and aspirations, and which The presence of a sizeable Jewish
subsequently became the under- population in Palestine would
pinning rationale for the British act as a buffer zone that would
Mandate in Palestine. be beneficial to Britain’s imperial
interests. The hope was that

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