Rare footage of Lord Balfour’s 1925 visit to pre-state Israel has been officially released for the first time.

Israeli film researcher, Yaakov Gross, discovered the clips in his collection, and made them public to celebrate the 96th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, which recognised Palestine as the national home of the Jewish people.

The footage shows the former British Foreign Minister at the historic opening of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium in Tel Aviv.

His tour through Allenby Street in Jerusalem was marked by throngs of well-wishers decked out in blue-and-white flags and ribbons.

The peer also visited Galilee and the northern moshav of Balfouriyya, where he was greeted as a guest of honour by the local Bedouin tribes.

Watch one of the YouTube clips of Balfour's 1925 visit by clicking on the link below.