Balfour Apology Campaign and the Palestinian Return Centre urge you to write to the Royal Albert Hall to protest against the hosting of a celebration of the centenary of the Balfour Declaration.

The Balfour 100 Ltd group, formerly known as “United Christian Alliance For Israel” have organised an event at the Royal Albert Hall on November 7th 2017, to the celebrate the centenary of the Balfour Declaration.

The event is portrayed as merely a musical event, but it is clearly politically motivated and its principal aim is to encourage support for the state of Israel to continue its crimes against Palestinians with impunity.

We ask you to take action against this! Fill in the form below and click the send button to ask them to cancel the event. Or alternatively, copy and paste the text and input it in this link: https://www.royalalberthall.com/your-visit/contact-us/  >

You may also use the tweets at the bottom of this link: https://prc.org.uk/en/campaign/2/demand-royal-albert-hall-to-cancel-celebration-balfour-declaration-centenary to tweet directly to their official twitter account and express your position openly.

The Palestinian Return Center today, on the 30th of October, announces the release of the long-awaited short movie“100 Balfour Road” in the remembrance of the sufferings, displacement, and deaths of thousands of Palestine lives caused by the Balfour declaration 100 years ago.

“100 Balfour Road” upon release is available in 17 different languages: English, Arabic. Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Polish, Italian, Turkish, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Chinese, Russian and Indonesian. Produced by ima6ine.

Watch the film here: https://youtu.be/vPndQGImVMc

The movie, produced as a part of the Balfour Apology Campaign by the Palestinian Return Centre, is available for free watch and can be reached on YouTube and PRC’s media platforms.

By this release, the Balfour Apology Campaign completes the 5th year working on major aim of getting the British government to apologize for their role in the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which led to the death and displacement of millions of Palestinian lives.

Since the inception of this campaign, it has actively hosted dozens of seminars and activities. In 2013, the campaign held a conference in London titled “Britain’s legacy in Palestine” to raise awareness on the failed policies of the British government in Palestine which have led to terrible human right abuse of the people of Palestine.

This conference examined the impact of World War I on Palestine, scrutinizes the various political agreements between different parties with an interest in the area through significant worksheets which formed a book carried the same title.

Balfour Apology  Campaign, later on February 2017, formally launched a petition on the British parliament official website demanding the British government to openly apologize to the Palestinian people for issuing the Balfour Declaration. This petition was ruefully turned down by the British government.

Other activities by the Campaign include holding retreats and seminars inside the British Parliament discussing different aspects and consequences of Balfour Declartion, and lobbying the MPs and politicians to help move our course to the next level.

One of the latest activities is the petition to stop the Royal Albert Hall from being used as the venue for the celebration of the Balfour declaration centenary, this celebration is an insult to millions of Palestinians who are still either refugees out of their home land, or oppressed under occupation inside Palestine, needless to tell that the reason is the 1917 Balfour declaration.

Balfour Apology Campaign by PRC will not stop until a public apology is issued by the British government to the people of Palestine and a legal action is carried out to correct all the mishaps that have been triggered by the Balfour declaration.

London 18th October 2017

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) has written a letter to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan to protest against Transport For London’s decision to ban advertisements displaying Palestinian objection to the Balfour Declaration.

PRC is extremely disappointed that TFL has refused to run the Palestinian Mission UK’s advocacy campaign that aims to raise awareness about the effects of the Balfour Declaration on the Palestinian people. It is a timely campaign that seeks to inform the British public of the gravity of the Balfour Declaration, which was instrumental to the forced expulsion of the Palestinian people and to their suffering ever since it was declared.

The advertising campaign was allegedly rejected under clause 2.3 (h) of the Advertising Policy, referring to “images or messages which relate to matters of public controversy or sensitivity”. However, we would like to emphasize the remainder of the same clause which states “advertisements which are calculated to promote the right to life, liberty and security of the person, and advertisements which reasonably promote causes which are not party political, will however not normally be disapproved on this ground”. The campaign is wholly factual in content and voices the abuse of rights of the Palestinian people with the purpose of calling attention to their liberty, or lack thereof.

Additionally, we seriously question the rejection of the advertising campaign under this clause, given the TFL’s support of a 12-month BAE systems campaign at Westminster tube station. BAE systems have been known to supply Israel with ‘Head-Up Displays’ (HUD) for F16 fighter aircrafts, which have been used by the Israeli army to destroy Lebanese and Palestinian villages and towns into rubble. BAE system’s products also include radar systems, handcuffs and shackles used in Guantanamo Bay and Saudi Arabia. TFL and Greater London Authority’s Sponsorship explicitly states under clause 5.5 (f) that “The Authority will not enter into agreements for sponsorship from organisations deriving income from pornography, or immoral activities.”

Britain has a legal and moral responsibility to take tangible restorative action and give the Palestinians basic rights and self-determination, but this ban only acts to censor the Palestinian narrative. We condemn the decision to reject this advertising campaign, and urge you to reverse this ban in the interest of promoting the right to life, liberty, and security, as is set out in TFL’s Public Sector Equality Duty 5.5 (f).

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) invites you to the

House of Lords

to discuss the Launch of the Balfour Apology Campaign: Time to Say Sorry

 The Palestinian Return Centre is hosting an event inside the UK Parliament a week ahead of the 99th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration which will be on November 2nd. The Balfour Declaration, which had no basis of legal authority, promised the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, where the indigenous Palestinians amounted to 90% of the total population.

After the Balfour Declaration Palestine became the victim of colonialism and Britain’s legacy is still evident today as Palestinians continue to be denied the right to self-determination and suffer from living under military occupation or as refugees. As the 100th year since the Balfour declaration approaches, the Palestinian Return Centre has decided to re-launch its campaign which started in 2013 called Balfour Apology Campaign which asks the UK Government to officially apologies for its past colonial crimes in Palestine.

Committee Room 2a, Houses of Parliament

Tuesday 25th of October at 7pm Hosted and chaired by  Baroness Jenny Tonge

Panel Includes

Professor Manuel Hassassian, Ambassador of the Palestinian Mission to the UK

Betty Hunter, Honorary President of Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Britain’s legal and moral obligation

Karl Sabbagh, Historian and Writer

How successive British governments fell in love with Zionism, until it was too late

Majed Al-Zeer, President of the Palestinian Return Centre

On the Balfour Apology Campaign

More speakers to be announced

Register by email: info@prc.org.uk

or here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launch-of-the-balfour-apology-campaign-time-to-say-sorry-tickets-28690052720

London, 25th October

The Palestinian Return Centre hosted the launch of the Balfour Apology Campaign inside a packed out room in the House of Lords. The event was hosted and chaired by Baroness Jenny Tonge.

Balfour Apology Campaign is a UK based campaign launched by the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) in 2013 to urge the British establishment to apologise for the 1917 Balfour Declaration. Britain’s legacy in Palestine marked an historical breach against the aspirations of the people of Palestine and shattered its hopes for freedom and self determination.

Baroness Jenny Tonge introduced introduce the evening stating “Tonight is the beginning of the apology” as she provided some background on the origins of the campaign and its significance for Palestinians.

First speaker of the evening was Majed Al-Zeer, President of the Palestinian Return Centre. Mr Al-Zeer. In regards to the launch of the Balfour Apology Campaign, he stated that “We want official recognition of Palestinian suffering”. Mr Al-Zeer continued “We are committed to fight for the self-determination of Palestinians”.

The next speaker, Karl Sabbagh, British Palestinian Historian and Writer, discussed the three conditions that need to apply in order to seek an apology – harm caused, responsibility of the apologiser, and whether the original event was avoidable.

Last speaker of the evening was Betty Hunter, Honorary President of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign discussed the importance to unite works towards changing British policy on Palestine. For Hunter it is fundamental to do so because “The Palestinian catastrophe is still ongoing” and the “International community must stand with Palestinian refugees”.

London, Geneva 26th September 2017

The Palestinian Return Center (PRC) organized a panel discussion on the sidelines of the 36th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The session focused on the centennial of Balfour Declaration and Britain’s responsibility of it, where participants urged Britain to apologize for its declaration, which left millions of Palestinians homeless and created endless calamities.

Professor Salman Abu Sitta, member of PRC’s Advisory Board, presented a historical presentation since the Balfour Declaration until 1948, in which he discussed Britain’s role in consolidating the establishment of the Israeli occupation state and committing massacres against the Palestinian people.

Abu Sitta requested an urgent apology from Britain and a financial compensation to the Palestinian people, for the damage and destruction that took place over the course of 100 years.

During the discussion, president of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Qadoura Fares, criticized Britain’s refusal to apologize. He stressed that the Palestinian public inside the country and in the diaspora, fully agreed on the need for Britain to take full responsibility.

Majed Al-Zeer, Chairman of the Palestinian Return Center, referred to the work of civil society institutions and human rights defenders and their role to put pressure on the British government, which is still denying its colonial history.

The meeting was co-chaired by human rights expert Gulnoz Saydaminova, Senior Human Rights Researcher at Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ), and Badie Dweik, Founder and Coordinator of Hebron Human Rights Defenders (HRD), who gave a detailed account of human rights violations in the West Bank, especially Hebron, committed by the Israeli occupation and its settlers.

Amman, 22nd September 2017

“Raaji” Center in Jordan, in collaboration with the Palestinian Return Center, held the first screening of the film “100 Balfour Road” in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on Thursday, September 21st, 2017 at the Rainbow Cinema in the capital Amman.

This came concurrently with the centennial of the Balfour Declaration, which is happening these days, in the presence of a large and diverse crowd of more than 300 people.

The screening was followed by a discussion session with the speakers: Dr. Anis Kassem, PhD in law from George Washington University USA and a member of the Palestinian defense lawyers team before the International Court of Justice in the Israeli Wall case, Dr. Ali Muhafazah, Honorary Professor of History at the University of Jordan and the former President of Mutah and Yarmouk Universities. And the Palestinian filmmaker Rawan Al-Daman as a moderator.

Dr. Ali Muhafazah discussed the Balfour Declaration from a historical perspective. He also spoke about the origin of the idea of immigration to Palestine as a religious cover for colonial purposes.

Dr. Anis Kassem discussed the legal perspective of Balfour’s statement and its impact on drawing the course of the Palestinian issue until now, in addition to how the Zionist movement was able to convert the text of the Balfour letter into a colonial state.

Rawan Al-Daman highlighted the importance of the digital media role in gaining international support and backing for the Palestinian cause.

This event comes as part of activities taking place around the world where the 100 Balfour Road short film is being shown. The film, produced by the Palestinian Return Centre and Balfour apology campaign, aims to raise awareness of the tragic consequences of the promise on the Palestinian people and the extent of British responsibility.

London – 10th July 2017

A short film screened by the Palestinian Return Center (PRC) on Saturday evening got a standing ovation at its London premiere.

The film, 100 Balfour Road, put on show for the first time at Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London, exerted a pull on dozens of activists and pro-Palestine figures.

The film, displayed as part of the Palestine Expo event, which bills itself as Europe’s largest Palestinian heritage event, also dovetails the Balfour Apology Campaign launched by PRC to urge the British Government to apologize for the notorious Balfour pledge.

The film puts on view the tragic fallouts of the Balfour Declaration, in which the British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour signaled the go-ahead for the establishment of a Jewish State in Palestine.

The film spotlights the story of a British family who are driven out of their home by the British government and forced to live in a cramped shack in the backyard. Another family—the Smiths—take possession of the house and put down roots in the building, leaving the real houseowners—the Jonees—with neither food nor medicines. Heavily-armed soldiers escort the settlers at the same time as they tighten the noose around the neck of the Johnees and deprive them of their basic rights.

The show was wrapped up by a seminar during which PRC delegates and the film producers briefed the audience on the challenges faced all the way through the pre-screening phases.

The leading actor Tim Bartholomew, who played the character of Balfour, expressed his heartfelt pride of the positive responses garnered by the premiere.

He said though he did not know much about Balfour Declaration previously, he believed, deep inside, that the tragedy of the Palestinians did not occur out of the blue.

“I am now more aware than ever of the truth. It is high time we reacted to the tragedy. On behalf of Arthur Balfour, I would like to apologize to the child Henry and to the Palestinians for the harm wrought by the pledge for over 100 years,” said the protagonist.

Responding to a question by journalist Rawan AlDhamen on the cast, the Palestinian-British film director, Anas AlKarmi, said British actors were selected to play the leading roles in order to strike a chord with the targeted audience and make the British people identify with the victims.

PRC’s Public Relations and Communications chief, Sameh Habeeb, sounded the alarm over Britain’s historical responsibility over the upshots of the Balfour pledge, which forced the Palestinians out of their homes and robbed them of their right of return to their motherland.

“The right of return is inalienable and can never be subject to a statute of limitations,” said Habeeb.

The film falls in with the Balfour Apology Campaign launched by PRC to push the UK government to extend an official apology over the pledge and backtrack on its intent to celebrate the Balfour Declaration centenary.

The scenario was composed by prominent English screenwriter and film director Richard Beer, best known for his “One Second a Day” video clip, which relates the story of a young girl whose life gets upside down in the raging Syrian warfare. The video was seen by over 57 million people on YouTube.

Balfour Road film is the by-product of a team work carried out by: Ammar AlZeer (audiographer), Abdul Mu’ti AlTirawi (assistant director), Anas al-Karmi (director), Imagine (executive producer). The film was prepared by Ali Faraj and produced by PRC.