Abbas to British activists: The British people do not agree with the “historical tragedy” of the Balfour Declaration, please support our “peaceful struggle”
Headline: “The [PA] president: The British people do not agree to the historical injustice that Balfour caused to our people”
“At the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday [Nov. 2, 2017] received a delegation of British solidarity activists who walked by foot for more than 147 days from Britain to occupied Jerusalem as a sign of condemnation of the Balfour Promise (i.e., Declaration) on the 100th anniversary of it being issued, and as a sign of rejection of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.
The president said: …‘We are convinced that you are the ones that truly represent the British people, and it is a people that does not agree to the historical tragedy that the Balfour Promise caused to our people. In this context, we appreciate the noble position of the British House of Representatives that asked the British government to recognize the State of Palestine.’
The president also said: ‘We still adhere to the two-state solution, as the alternative to the two-state solution is the Israeli apartheid regime.’ […]
The president added: ‘We rely on people like you to support our people and strengthen its resolve so that it will be able to continue its peaceful struggle to end the occupation. We are certain that you understand that we are the only people in the world that is still bowing under the fire of this military occupation, which has continued for the last 50 years.’”
The Balfour Declaration of Nov. 2, 1917 was a letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Baron Rothschild stating that “His Majesty's government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” In 1922, the League of Nations adopted this and made the British Mandate “responsible for putting into effect the declaration,” which led to the UN vote in 1947 and the establishment of the State of Israel.
“At the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday [Nov. 2, 2017] received a delegation of British solidarity activists who walked by foot for more than 147 days from Britain to occupied Jerusalem as a sign of condemnation of the Balfour Promise (i.e., Declaration) on the 100th anniversary of it being issued, and as a sign of rejection of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.
The president said: …‘We are convinced that you are the ones that truly represent the British people, and it is a people that does not agree to the historical tragedy that the Balfour Promise caused to our people. In this context, we appreciate the noble position of the British House of Representatives that asked the British government to recognize the State of Palestine.’
The president also said: ‘We still adhere to the two-state solution, as the alternative to the two-state solution is the Israeli apartheid regime.’ […]
The president added: ‘We rely on people like you to support our people and strengthen its resolve so that it will be able to continue its peaceful struggle to end the occupation. We are certain that you understand that we are the only people in the world that is still bowing under the fire of this military occupation, which has continued for the last 50 years.’”
The Balfour Declaration of Nov. 2, 1917 was a letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Baron Rothschild stating that “His Majesty's government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” In 1922, the League of Nations adopted this and made the British Mandate “responsible for putting into effect the declaration,” which led to the UN vote in 1947 and the establishment of the State of Israel.