Many analysts and politicians believe that the British government’s announcement of its intention to celebrate the Balfour Declaration constitutes a denial of the Palestinian rights from which Palestinians were stripped of as a result of this unjust Declaration and constitutes insistence on this crime committed by the British Mandate government in Palestine in 1917.
Zaher al-Shashtari an official in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine PFLP said: “Britain which is responsible for the disastrous Declaration is still going on with its arrogance and hostility towards the Palestinian people by declaring that it will celebrate this occasion and by having a credit in establishing the Zionist entity.”
Al-Shashtari said during an interview with the PIC and in response to this step Palestinians should take further steps locally and internationally.
He added “There must be a popular Palestinian demand of boycotting the UK and addressing all international and legal institutions including the International Criminal Court for the historic injustice that has been inflicted on the Palestinian people because of this terrible Declaration. As for the Palestinian Authority and the PLO they should carry out their duty and ask the Arab League to take action against Britain.”
In the same context Nasr Abu Jaish an official in the Palestinian People’s Party stressed that “The shameful Balfour Declaration has caused damage to our people including imprisonment killings settlements and displacement of our people” calling on the British government to recognize the state of Palestine and apologize to the Palestinian people.
He told the PIC “The British Prime Minister is the one who killed the children of Palestine and her statement that she wants to celebrate this Declaration is against freedom and human justice.
“All the Palestinian people should engage in the days of anger and rejection of this notorious Declaration” he emphasized.
Abu Jaish called on the Palestinian people in the occupied homeland and in the diaspora to send letters of protest to the British embassies asking them to apologize to our people.
Kamal Alawneh a media and political analyst said that the British plan to celebrate the centenary of the Balfour Declaration “demonstrates that Britain is adamant in its hostile position against the Arab and Muslim people in general and the Palestinian people in particular” describing such stance as abhorrently racist.”
He added: “The British government’s decision to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration indicates that the British evil policy has not changed and is persistent in supporting the Israeli oppression against the Palestinian people which constitutes a blatant attack on Palestinian people and human rights. Britain occupies the top list of global terrorism in the past and present and perhaps in the future for its crime against the Palestinian people by depriving them of their simplest national and political rights.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May has recently said that the UK would celebrate the Balfour Declaration saying she is proud of Britain’s role in establishing Israel.
“We are proud of our role in the establishment of the State of Israel” she said.
She expressed her satisfaction with her country’s relations with Israel and for enhancing these relations in the fields of trade and other fields.
