The Balfour Declaration of 1917 states that His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. On the basis of this statement, the League of Nations gave Britain a Mandate for Palestine in 1922.

The British Mandate was terminated pursuant to UN General Assembly Resolution 181, adopted in November 1947. This resolution also stipulated the establishment of two states, one Jewish and the other Arab, in the territory of the Mandate. The Arabs rejected the resolution, attempted to prevent its implementation, and launched a war, in the course of which David Ben-Gurion declared "the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel".

The Declaration of Independence states explicitly that the State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles."

The Law of Return established the right of every Jew to settle in Israel, and therefore every Jew in exile is entitled to return to his/her historical homeland and be naturalized in it. The law does not discriminate against non-Jewish citizens of Israel because it does not deal with citizens of Israel. The law also does not prevent persons of non-Jewish origin from being naturalized in Israel; this possibility is available under other laws.



(Israel MFA)