On the centenary of the Balfour Declaration the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) launches its latest publication titled “Giving Away Other People’s Land, The Making of the Balfour Declaration”.

With the 1917 Balfour Declaration, Palestine became the victim of European colonialism, as Britain promised to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine where the indigenous Palestinians amounted to over ninety percent of the total population.

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the motivations and dynamics that culminated in the creation of the Balfour Declaration.

The research is based primarily on archival documents from the National Archives in Kew Gardens, London. The reports begins with illustrating the objections to the Zionist project to settle in Palestine, strongly advocated by anti-Zionist British Jews.

Contrary to the mainstream view that Britain had benevolent motivations in drafting the Declaration evidence in the archives proves that British government ministers used political Zionism to advance their own imperial ambitions.

The report also explores the accusation that the British ruling elite were anti-Semitic and thus driven by an age-long ambition to expel their Jewish communities. Lastly, this study argues that both the British government and the Zionist movement used Orientalist ideology to justify the dispossession of Palestinians from their lands.

This publication is of relevance to academics, students, policy makers and activists interested in the history and politics of British imperialism, settler colonialism, Zionism, Israel and the question of Palestine.

Researcher: Hannah Bowler

Editors: Sameh Habeeb and Pietro Stefanini

• Paperback: 52 pages
• Publisher: The Palestinian Return Centre
• Language: English
• Date: 2017
• ISBN: 978-1-901924-07-7
• Price: £ 10.00 (+p&p outside UK)
• Dimensions: 18 x 24 cm

London 18 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).

London 9 October 2017

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) briefed British Labour Party politician Jared O’Mara, Member of Parliament for the constituency of Sheffield Hallam since 2017.

The PRC gave a presentation to Mr. O’Mara detailing the situation of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East and in Palestine-Israel. PRC stressed the importance of the Palestinian right of return.

Mr. O’Mara talked about the support for Palestinian rights from members of his constituency and the need to address the situation in Gaza especially since the ‘electricity crisis’ further worsened the already desperate conditions.

PRC also discussed its own activities within Parliament, the United Nations and the Balfour Apology Campaign. The way the government will ‘mark’ or ‘celebrate’ the centenary of the Balfour Declaration was addressed with great concern by both Mr O’Mara and PRC.

Mr O’Mara said he looks forward to working with other members of parliament to end the oppression of the Palestinian people.

As the centennial of the infamous Balfour Declaration approaches, the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) opens the door for those wishing to hold a screening event for (100 Balfour Road) short film.

The film aims to raise awareness of the disastrous effects of the Balfour Declaration on the Palestinian people by dramatizing it as a traditional British family story, suitable for family viewing and free of violence.

The 12 Mins film, produced by the Palestinian Return Centre and Balfour Apology Campaign, speaks English, but subtitles provided in 16 world languages: Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Polish, Italian, Turkish, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Chinese, Russian, Indonesian.

London, Geneva 26 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.

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), and Palestinian Forum of Britain launched a nationwide campaign in the United Kingdom asking Britain to atone for its historical mistake in Palestine.

The campaign is one year long that seeks to get 100.000 signatures from British citizens. Thus the issue can be addressed at the House of Commons.

This petition is parallel to international campaign launched on the same issue to collect 1 million signatures and will lost till 2017 on the centenary of Balfour Declaration anniversary.

Majed Alzeer, General Director of PRC stated that the campaign is part of a strategy to defend the Palestinian rights and to keep the issue alive the table.

Ziad ElAloul,  chairman of Palestinian Forum of Britain added that the petition is an effort to raise awareness of the British public and the historical role of Britain. He hoped to achieve the goals of the campaign and raise the issue for the public opinion. The Palestinian calls all organisations and those working the field to join the campaign.

The petition was launched on number 10 official website and hosted by Baroness Jenny Tonge.

The Petition states:

We call on Her Majesty’s Government to openly recognise British responsibility for the plight of the Palestinian people. The colonial policy of Britain between 1917-1948 led to mass displacement of the Palestinian nation. The British government failed to protect the Palestinian people, which was a breach of its obligations under the Mandate. Britain’s failure led to communal strife, violence and mass displacement of more than half of the Palestinian population before expiration of its Mandate. The Balfour declaration of 1917 clearly prejudiced the rights of Palestinian people and sealed their fate, leading to untold suffering. Since then, seven million Palestinian refugees, more than half the Palestinian population have had to endure this historic injustice, a blatant denial of their human rights. HM Government bears responsibility for the plight of Palestinians and has a duty to ensure proper restoration and reparation for its historical failure.

Sign Now: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/63195

London – 4 April 2017

Lord Norman Warner urged the British government to make an apology over the notorious Balfour Pledge during a lengthy debate hosted at the British House of Lords on Monday.

Lord Norman called on the British government to assume its historical responsibility for the tragic fallouts of the Balfour pledge, which gave, one hundred years ago, green light for the establishment, in Palestine, of a national home for the Jewish people.

In Warner’s terms, the British government has failed to protect the rights of existing non-Jewish communities, in a barefaced contravention of the text of the letter.

Speaking at the debate round, Foreign Office Minister Baroness Anelay said that the British government will mark the Balfour centenary with pride, adding that a guest of government invitation was extended to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to visit the UK on the centenary.

“We are proud of our role in the creation of Israel,” said Baroness Anelay of St Johns. “However we recognize that the declaration should have called for the protection of political rights of non-Jewish communities in Palestine, particularly their right to self-determination. This is why we support a two-state solution.”

Warner leveled heavy criticism at the successive British governments, both under the British mandate and subsequently, for having failed to protect the Palestinian people, urging the government to rather mark the centenary with a gracious apology for the agony that that failure has caused.

Lord Warner’s comments were delivered few days after his chairmanship of a seminar staged by PRC to discuss the issue. A plethora of academics and diplomats were in attendance. A number of pro-Israel speakers were kicked out of the room for breaching the rules set for the debate round.

LONDON – 31 March 2017

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) met with Mark Pawsey MP (Conservative Party) over the question of the Palestinian refugees.

PRC delegates Sameh Habib and Pietro Stefanini stressed the need to restore Palestinians’ legitimate rights, most notably the right to return to their motherland and the rights to self-determination and independence.

PRC representatives warned that peace talks will reach a deadlock for they do not take into consideration such vital issues as the right of return. Habeeb Also called on the British government to opt for an unbiased position vis-à-vis the Arab-Israeli conflict.

PRC warned of the upshots of underway arrangements by the UK government to mark the notorious Balfour Declaration, urging Pawsey MP to work on pressurizing the government to backtrack on its intent to commemorate the pledge.

London, 29 March 2017

Two pro-Israeli activists were removed from the House of Lords last night for breaking the regulations of the parliament by carrying out an unauthorised recording.

This happened in a meeting on Palestinians Return Centre’s Balfour Apology Campaign hosted by Baroness Jenny Tonge and Lord Norman Warner.

The meeting was titled, “Balfour Declaration, No Marking No, Celebration, It is an Apology”

Activist/Journalist Jerry Lewis and Jonathan Hoffman were removed by police upon a request by Lord Warner. Their removal came after their refusal to abide by the rules and regulations of the House and the many calls made to them by Lord Warner.

Lewis who was not invited to this private meeting came middle of the seminar and switched on his recording device.

He did not get the required permission from the chair nor the Black Rod office.

The Police confiscated the Parliament Press accreditation from Lewis due to his behaviour and breaking the laws of the house. See the link: https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/access/photography-filming-and-mobile-phone-use/

Jonathan Hoffman was asked to leave the meeting for his disruptive and disrespectful conduct towards the chair. He also used abusive language against the Lord and event’s audience. Hoffman has a history of attending pro-Palestinian meetings in order to cause disruption.

The Centre commends the position of Lord Warner and invite all attendees to respect the rules of the House.

The Centre also thinks that pro Israeli activists are attempting to sabotage the civilised discussion and freedom of expression in the UK by constant smearing and proppoganda campaigns.

London – 29 March 2017

A debate was organized by the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) on Tuesday evening at the British House of Lords under the patronage of Baroness Jenny Tonge to discuss underway arrangements by the UK government to mark the notorious Balfour Declaration.

The event, held under the slogan “No for Celebration . . . Yes for Apology”, was chaired by Lord Norman Warner. A number of academics were in attendance. A minute of silence was held at the onset of the event in memory of the victims of the Westminster terror attack and of the departed pro-Palestine MP Gerald Kaufman.

Keynote speaker Professor Salman Abu Sitta held the UK historically responsible for the fallouts of the Balfour Declaration, which resulted in the influx of thousands of Jewish immigrants and Zionist gangs to Palestine.

Speaking on behalf of Friends of Sabeel UK, Rev’d Mark Battison highlighted the key role played by the Church of England in ongoing campaigns promoting Palestinians’ infringed rights.

Palestinian writer, Dr. Ghada Karmi, stressed Palestinians’ inalienable right of return to their motherland and the tragic upshots of the Balfour pledge on the refugees’ cause. She slammed the international community for their apathy as regards the status quo. Irish author and journalist David Cronin briefed the audience on the finding of his book Balfour’s Shadow: British Support for Zionism and Israel, slated to be published in the near future. The book covers the repercussions of the Balfour pledge on the entire region and the wars sparked by the declaration.

PRC’s Chairman @mzeer2 Majed AlZeer concluded the seminar with an extensive note on PRC’s efforts to urge the British government to apologize for the Balfour Declaration and to pin down the ad hominem campaigns waged by the Israeli lobby against the center over the past few months.

AlZeir further underlined the findings of a report by the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee acquitting Baroness Tonge of anti-Semitism allegations.