Balfour Declaration (1917) "A promise from someone who does not own to someone who does not deserve." was a letter of British support towards Lord Rothschild for the Zionist aim of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine, which at that point of time was already inhabited by the natives. It was highly controversial as the declaration was made by an European power regarding a non-European territory in flat disregard of both the presence and wishes of the native majority in the territory. Upon the start of the mandate, the British facilitated the immigration of European Jews to Palestine. The British disarmed the Palestinian people from 1936-1939 during the 'Great Arab Revolt' whilst turning a blind eye to illegal immigration by European Jews and their procurement of arms, greatly hindering the Palestinians in the future Arab-Israeli War. (Sources: Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist–Arab Conflict, 1881–1999 by Benny Morris p.159, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi)