Declaration to the Seven facts for kids

The Declaration to the Seven was an important paper from Britain. It was written by Sir Mark Sykes and approved by Charles Hardinge, a top official in the British government. It was released on June 16, 1918.

This declaration was a response to a request from seven important people from Syria who were living in Cairo. These people were part of a group that would soon form the Syrian Unity Party. They had become active after the Balfour Declaration and the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement were made public. The Syrian group asked for a promise that Arabia would eventually become independent.

The Declaration to the Seven stated Britain's policy. It said that the future governments of areas in the Ottoman Empire that were taken over by the Allies of World War I should be based on the idea of "consent of the governed". This means the people living there should agree to how they are ruled.

Why Was This Declaration Important?

The Declaration to the Seven was special because it was the first time Britain officially talked about the idea of "national self-determination" to the Arab people. This means people should be able to decide their own future and government. Britain wanted to strengthen its position by using this idea, which was also supported by Woodrow Wilson, the American president.

However, neither Britain nor France was truly ready to keep all their promises to the Arabs. They also didn't want to give up the power they had gained after winning against the Ottoman Empire.

This document was not widely shared. But it might explain why General Edmund Allenby stopped his army's advance after defeating Turkish forces near Damascus. He allowed Arab forces to capture Damascus in September 1918, after the Battle of Megiddo. This action, following orders from London, helped support the Arab claim for Syria's independence. At the same time, it made France's claims to the area, based on the Sykes–Picot Agreement, weaker.

Who Were "The Seven"?

The seven important Syrian people who sent the request from Cairo were:

• Rafiq al-Azm
• Sheikh Kamal al-Qassab
• Mukhtar al-Sulh
• Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar
• Khaled al-Hakim
• Fauzi al-Bakri (whose brother, Nasib al-Bakri, was also a member of Al-Fatat)
• Hasan Himadeh

See also

• Damascus Protocol
• Hussein-McMahon Correspondence
• Anglo-French Declaration