The Campbell-Bannerman Middle East Conference from Sykes-Picot to the Deal of the Century (1907-2020)

Abstract

In this article, I attempt to shed light on one of the most significant and controversial topics in the history of contemporary Zionist–imperialist activity in the Middle East, namely the so-called Campbell-Bannerman Conference (1905–1907). This conference is attributed to its alleged architect, the British Prime Minister of Scottish origin, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1836–1908), who reportedly called for an international conference whose secret sessions extended from 1905 to 1907. The aim of these meetings was to define practical mechanisms for materializing the Zionist project of establishing a “Jewish state,” as articulated by the Zionist leader Theodor Herzl (1860–1904), particularly during the First Zionist Congress held in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897, where the establishment of a national home for the Jews in Palestine was approved.

Accordingly, the Zionist movement relied on mobilizing international Jewish and Zionist public opinion, exerting political and media pressure, activating diplomatic efforts, and employing Jewish national funds as financial instruments to achieve its ultimate objective: the establishment of a national home for the Jews in Palestine.