Britain’s Legal Responsibility for Applying the Balfour Declaration in Palestine and for Its Tenure There

Is Britain legally accountable for holding Palestine between the world wars? Does its implementation there of the Balfour Declaration open it, presently, to claim for reparation, under the law of state responsibility? Three distinct positions are seen. For scholars like James Crawford and Malcolm Shaw, the issue of reparation does not arise, for they consider that what Britain did in Palestine was authorized by the League of Nations.

More recently, however, Ralph Wilde argues that the implementation of the Balfour Declaration was unlawful, hence that Britain does have a case to answer for reparation. A petition filed with the UK Government in September 2025 similarly finds reparation in order, but on a broader claim of illegality on Britain’s part.

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