A campaign demanding that the UK issue a formal apology for supporting the idea of a Jewish state in the Middle East almost a century ago is growing in popularity after the launch of a new parliamentary petition.
Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Jenny Tonge hosted an event at the House of Lords announcing the launch of the Palestinian Return Centre’s (PRC) initiative to pressure the UK government into acknowledging its role in “almost a century of Palestinian suffering” and the UK’s wider colonial impact on the region last Tuesday.
If the petition (currently pending approval) reaches more than 100,000 signatures, parliament will have to consider a debate on the subject.
The Balfour Declaration, as it is known, was a 1917 letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Lord Rothschild, head of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, promising support for the idea of a Jewish homeland in historical Palestine as long as the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities were not “prejudiced.”
Britain ended up governing Palestine shortly afterward under mandate rule after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI.
The controversial meeting in Westminster caused outrage in Israel after video from the event surfaced showing one audience member claiming “If anybody is anti-semitic, it’s the Israelis themselves,” going on to say Jews antagonised Adolf Hitler.
Baroness Tonge was criticised for not appearing to challenge the unidentified man. She later said that she did not hear his full “rant”. The Lib Dems decided to suspend Baroness Tonge pending an investigation into the event, which led her to announce that she has quit the party. The PRC also distanced itself from the comments, which they said were made by a member of the ultra-Orthodox Neturei Karta group.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also called on the UK to apologise for the Balfour Declaration ahead of the centenary during a speech at the United Nations in New York last week. “We ask Great Britain, as we approach 100 years since this infamous declaration, to draw the necessary lessons and to bear its historic, legal, political, material and moral responsibility for the consequences of this declaration, including an apology to the Palestinian people for the catastrophes, misery and injustice this declaration created and to act to rectify these disasters and remedy its consequences, including by the recognition of the state of Palestine,” Mr Abbas said. “This is the least Great Britain can do.”
The UK’s delegation to the UN did not comment on Mr Abbas’ remarks. In a statement sent to Al Jazeera, A British Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said that the government would not apologise for a “historic statement” but recognised that for many, it is a sensitive subject.
“The Balfour Declaration was a historic statement and one that the UK Government will not be apologising for… We are focused on encouraging the Israelis and Palestinians to take steps which bring them closer to peace,” they said, adding that the government supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “However, we do recognise the sensitivities many people have about the Balfour Declaration and will mark the anniversary accordingly.”
London – 27-10-2016 – Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) condemns the biased article of Dominic Kennedy, Investigations Editor of the Times and regards it as mere “Propaganda” and “bad journalism” that lack the basic ethic and standards of journalism.
On early Thursday, 27th of October, Kennedy published an article titled, “Jews blamed for Holocaust at ‘shameful’ House of Lords event”
The article of Kennedy is based on a blog post by David Collier who is a known pro-Israel blogger.
The article described the event of the Palestinian Return Centre as “‘shameful’ House of Lords event”. Kennedy’s choice for the title fails to accurately depict the purpose and outcome the event, which centered around the launch of the Balfour Apology Campaign. He also gave a platform to the Israeli embassy in London where a spokesperson commented on the matter. Meanwhile, he failed to contact the centre for a comment on the issue.
We call on the Times to adopt a fair, accurate and objective reporting when dealing with press coverage.
In this instance, PRC reiterates its position, which is that we don’t tolerate any form of anti-Semitism nor holocaust denial statements.
The fact that some members of the Jewish Neturei Karta said anti-semitic statements in the Q&A session of our meeting should not be used to defame our event or speakers. Comments being made from members of the audience should not be used to discredit our activities
PRC should be only held responsible for what is being said by our speakers. We are not responsible for what the audience ask or comment while the floor is open for discussion.
On the 25th of 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”.
