Declaration to the Seven

Lore & Background

The Declaration to the Seven was crafted by Sir Mark Sykes and approved by Charles Hardinge, then released on June 16, 1918. It answered a memorandum issued anonymously by seven Syrian notables in Cairo, who included members of the soon-to-be-formed Syrian Unity Party. This party was established after the Balfour Declaration and the Bolsheviks' publication of the secret Sykes–Picot Agreement in November 1917.

Reader's Guide

The Declaration to the Seven is notable as the first British pronouncement to the Arabs advancing the principle of national self-determination, adopting the Wilsonian doctrine. However, neither Britain nor France was prepared to implement their promises to the Arabs or abdicate their victory over the Ottoman Empire. The document was not widely publicised. It may explain General Edmund Allenby's order to halt his advance after routing Turkish forces outside Damascus, allowing Arab forces to capture the city in September 1918, bolstering Arab claims to Syrian independence while undermining French claims under the Sykes–Picot Agreement.

Did You Know?

• The Declaration was written by Sir Mark Sykes and approved by Charles Hardinge.
• It was released on June 16, 1918, in response to a memorandum from seven Syrian notables in Cairo.
• The seven notables included Rafiq al-Azm, Sheikh Kamal al-Qassab, and Abdul Rahman Shahbandar.
• The Declaration may have influenced General Allenby's decision to let Arab forces capture Damascus in September 1918.