1. Rebecca Kaplan
IA Summary Sheet
How did Britain, who initially supported the Arab desire for national state in the
Middle East, become the only public proponent of the Zionist cause?
Books: The Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin
Chaim Weizmann: Making of a Statesman by Jehuda Reinahrz
Summary of Evidence:
In February of 1916, Mark Sykes of the British government and Georges Picot of
the French governments concluded a secret agreement known as the Sykes Picot
Agreement, dividing the Ottoman Empire, and Middle East into Russian, French and
British spheres of influence. Vague promises of a British and French controlled Arab
state were made, and the area of Palestine would be ruled by a vaguely defined
international organization.
Sykes later became acquainted with Zionist leader and President of the British
Zionist Federation Chaim Weizmann, whose permanent goal was to put Palestine under a
British protectorate, which would allow the Jews to establish a homeland. Sykes wanted a
Jewish-Arab-Armenian alliance with the Anglo-French Entente, but in a February 7,
1917 meeting between Zionist leaders and Sykes, the Zionists insisted upon British
suzerainty over the area. Zionist Nahum Sokolow secured a letter from Jules Cambon,
Director-General of the French Foreign Ministry, demonstrating a friendly attitude of the
French towards the creation of a Jewish homeland.
In light of Weizmann’s promise of growing worldwide Jewish support for
Zionism as well as the Cambon Letter, Balfour was advised to issue a public statement
demonstrating a British commitment to the creation of a Jewish Homeland, which
resulted in the November 2, 1917 Balfour Declaration.
Topics for discussion:
 British opinion about Palestine prior to the Sykes-Picot agreement
 Personal and political factors that made British statesman more inclined to
support the Arab desire for statehood
 The influence of Jews in the British government: who were they and how did they
impact the signing of the Balfour Declaration?
 Dissenting opinions within the British Zionist Party about how Palestine should
be administered and the effects on British policymaking
 Worldwide Jewish opinion towards Zionism and Palestine and its effect on the
opinions of the British government
 Weizmann’s rise to power within the British Zionist party and how he promoted
his own goal of a British protectorate in Palestine
 Weizmann’s influence and contacts within the British government
 Sokolow’s role and the importance of his negotiations with France
 Sykes’ role in the question of a British administered Palestine
 Zionist and British benefits from the Balfour Declaration – who had the ultimate
victory when it was signed

2.  The “Weizmann myth” – the idea that Weizmann was merely a convenient tool
for British policymakers and does not deserve as much credit for the Balfour
Declaration as he is often given
 Weizmann’s role in getting the British to issue the Balfour Declaration
o Fromkin: Sokolow played a big role with his negotiations, and
Weizmann, though influential, was not critical to the signing of the
Balfour Declaration
o Reinharz: In examining the depth of Weizmann’s contacts and
meetings with British policymakers, as well as his unwavering
commitment to a British protectorate in Palestine, it is clear that he
was vital in convincing the British to sign the Balfour Declaration