When the British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour issued his eponymous “Declaration” in November 1917, it was hailed as a monumental and historic diplomatic achievement by the Zionist movement. When Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced earlier this week that, barring a ceasefire, Britain will recognise a Palestinian state, it was met with angry tantrums and livid rhetorical spasms by Israeli ministers.
The context and circumstances are obviously very different – but the Britain of 1917 that issued the declaration, the Britain of 1947 that relinquished its mandate over Palestine and supported the UN plan for partition, and the Britain of 2025 that is considering recognition of a Palestinian state are all telling the same story: that there is a question that needs to – and can be – resolved.
