This World

The Balfour Declaration: Britain's Promise to the Holy Land (2017x9)

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100 years ago, just 67 words on a single sheet of paper lit a fire in the Holy Land, igniting the most intractable conflict of modern times. The Balfour Declaration was the first time the British government endorsed the establishment of 'a national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine. While many Palestinians see it as a betrayal, many Israelis believe it was the foundation stone of modern Israel and the salvation of the Jews. The legacy of the declaration is one that BBC reporter Jane Corbin has watched unfold over the last 30 years - charting the conflict on both sides. But it is also a story that Jane has a personal connection to. One of her own ancestors, Leo Amery, a British politician and Cabinet minister, played a key part in drafting the original declaration and then oversaw Britain's governance of Palestine in the 1920s. Now, on a journey starting in her home village, Jane explores what Leo did and whether the aspirations of The Balfour Declaration - for both sides to live peacefully and prosper together - were doomed to inevitable failure or if there is still hope of a peaceful solution in the Holy Land?