Декларация Бальфура 2 ноября 1917 г. и сионистский проект 18 июля 1917 г.: семантический анализ текста

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the consideration of the contents of the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917 and the draft declaration of July 18, 1917. In December 1916 D. Lloyd George occupied the post of Prime Minister, and A. J. Balfour became Foreign Secretary. The new British Government was not satisfied with the Sykes — George-Picot — Sazonov Agreement, March 17 — October 23, 1916. Officials in British Government supposed that the Sykes — George-Picot — Sazonov Agreement had made too big concessions to France. In accordance with this Agreement, international administration had to be arranged by consent of the allies — Great Britain, France, Russia, and the representatives of the Sharif of Mecca — in the southern part of vilayet Beirut and northern part of sanjak Jerusalem. Great Britain took the seaport of Haiffa as porto franco and the seaport of Acre, and the rights of construction, management, and ownership of the railway, which had to link Haiffa with an independent Arab State or the Arab States Confederation. Zionist colonization of Palestine had to be continued, as well as the rights and privileges of the Orthodox Church preserved.During the First World War Zionist leaders discussed the possibility of establishment of British control over Palestine or a combined Franco-British condominium, and the establishment of national home for Jewish people in Palestine. British control over Palestine allowed to move the approaches to Suez Canal northeast, to have common boundaries with future French territories in Syria and Lebanon, and to surround Hijaz with the territories loyal to London. Also the following reasons roused London to act in Palestine fait accompli and to proclaim the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917: 1) London wanted to create loyal (or allied) force in the Middle East in order to outstrip Berlin and Washington; 2) Great Britain wished to stop the negotiations of Zionist leaders in Germany and Austria with the Porte; 3) the British Cabinet wanted also to stop the massive wave of Jewish immigrants to the British Isles; 4) for Lloyd George and Balfour the project of establishment of the Jewish national home in Palestine had religious importance. The semantic analysis of the texts of the Balfour Declaration November 2, 1917, and the draft document of July 18, 1917, shows that the draft document does not do for the British Cabinet, because of the following reasons: 1) the draft document did not point out, under the protection of what country the Zionist movement had had to arrange Jewish national life in Palestine; 2) the draft document restricted Great Britain by precise aims and facilities of the Zionist movement; 3) Great Britain could not recognize Palestine as the only national home for Jewish people because the majority of the population there were Muslims and Christians. The draft document provided for London's recognition of Palestine as "the National home of the Jewish people", whereas the Declaration of 2 November spoke about favouring the view of the British Government towards "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for Jewish people". The final variant of the document was the compromise between London and the Zionist movement, and contained the proclamation of the British government's purposes towards Jewish national home in Palestine.