PLO official demands Britain apologize for "ominous" Balfour Declaration, which "gave Palestine to those who are not its residents" and led to Israel's establishment
Headline: “Rafat called on the government of Britain to apologize on the anniversary of Aug. 10”
“[PLO] Executive Committee member Saleh Rafat said in a statement on the anniversary of the publication of the Palestine Constitution (i.e., Palestine Order in Council , 1922, officially establishing the British Mandate) by the government of Britain on Aug. 10, 1922: ‘For 100 years the Palestinian people has been suffering from the results of the ominous Balfour Promise (i.e., Declaration) that was issued in 1917. This promise gave Palestine to those who are not its residents, contributed to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and led to the expulsion of large numbers of the Palestinian people from within Palestine to outside of it. Therefore, the Palestinian people is still suffering from the consequences of this promise made by Britain.’ […]
He added: ‘The Palestinian people calls on the government of Britain, which is represented by its leader [Prime Minister] Theresa May, to apologize to the Palestinian people for the crime that it carried out via the Balfour Promise, the expulsion of the Palestinian people due to the establishment of the State of Israel, and the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967.’ […]
He continued: ‘We call on the government of Britain to cancel the ceremony that the prime minister of Britain is set to hold, and to which it has invited Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu], for the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Promise. We demand that it instead apologize to the Palestinian people, recognize the State of Palestine, and work together with the international community to pressure the Israeli government to end the occupation.’”
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” and is seen as the basis for later international commitments to establish the State of Israel.
“[PLO] Executive Committee member Saleh Rafat said in a statement on the anniversary of the publication of the Palestine Constitution (i.e., Palestine Order in Council , 1922, officially establishing the British Mandate) by the government of Britain on Aug. 10, 1922: ‘For 100 years the Palestinian people has been suffering from the results of the ominous Balfour Promise (i.e., Declaration) that was issued in 1917. This promise gave Palestine to those who are not its residents, contributed to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and led to the expulsion of large numbers of the Palestinian people from within Palestine to outside of it. Therefore, the Palestinian people is still suffering from the consequences of this promise made by Britain.’ […]
He added: ‘The Palestinian people calls on the government of Britain, which is represented by its leader [Prime Minister] Theresa May, to apologize to the Palestinian people for the crime that it carried out via the Balfour Promise, the expulsion of the Palestinian people due to the establishment of the State of Israel, and the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967.’ […]
He continued: ‘We call on the government of Britain to cancel the ceremony that the prime minister of Britain is set to hold, and to which it has invited Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu], for the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Promise. We demand that it instead apologize to the Palestinian people, recognize the State of Palestine, and work together with the international community to pressure the Israeli government to end the occupation.’”
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” and is seen as the basis for later international commitments to establish the State of Israel.