Ramallah: On the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of the infamous Balfour Declaration, the Palestinian government on Saturday called upon Britain to remedy its historical fault and recognize the State of Palestine on the 1967 border, with Jerusalem as its capital.
In a statement marking the occasion, government’s spokesman Ibrahim Melhem called on the international community to provide a mechanism of protection for the Palestinian people who, under prolonged Israeli occupation, continue to sustain the impact of the illegal Israeli settlement activities as well as the other forms of oppression by the occupying power.
On November 2, 1917, years before Britain had occupied Palestine, then British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour promised in a letter to Jewish leaders in the United Kingdom a homeland in Palestine for Europe’s Jews totally disregarding that country’s sovereign status and the existence of its indigenous Palestinian Arab population.
On the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration in 2017, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said that the Balfour Declaration, which laid the foundation for the establishment of the State of Israel in Palestine, created a century-long series of injustice towards Palestinian rights.
The Geneva-based Monitor went on to say that Britain is responsible for the violations that were linked to the fulfillment of the promise on the ground at a time when Palestine was under British Mandate.
Euro-Med stressed that the Balfour Declaration was a clear dismissal of the rights of the residents of Palestine at the time. Neither Palestinian opinion was taken into account nor their response to the promise details that would affect their lives and their right to self-determination.
The repercussions that followed the promise in terms of the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and the seizure of land, replaced with Israeli settlements instead stand as an ongoing issue as a result.
For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App.
Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.
Tipu Sultan -- Tiger of Mysore whose roar frightened even the British
Cong accuses BJP of outsourcing diplomacy to 'international business broker'
Also Read
European parliament delegation visting Kashmir on Tuesday
Pehlu Khan has become synonymous to mob lynching: Gehlot
Rajasthan High Court quashes FIR against Pehlu Khan, his sons
Turned out, EU MPs Kashmir visit was sponsored, PR exercise
Minor skirmish leads to violent clashes between lawyers, Delhi police
Just a missed call is what governments need to hack your phone
IELTS vs TOEFL: Differences and tips to pass with flying colours
BJP, Congress in war of words over WhatsApp-Pegasus snoopgate
Why did they kill ISIS Chief al-Baghdadi?
BJP's Tipu Sultan Politics: A long list of double standards
