On the occasion of the 103rd anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Monday called on Britain to recognize the independent “state of Palestine” within the borders approved by international institutions and its capital, eastern Jerusalem, as compensation for the "terrible" Balfour Declaration.
Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting, PA cabinet leader Mohammed Shtayyeh said that the "’terrible’ Balfour Declaration gave from those (the British) who have no ownership (of the land) to those (the Jewish people) who have no right (to the land) of the Palestinian people.”
The Fatah movement, led by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, also called on Britain to correct its “mistake” from the Balfour Declaration by recognizing the state of Palestine within the 1967 borders, emphasizing that the Palestinian people will continue to fight until they exercise their rights as determined by international institutions.
The 1917 Balfour Declaration, issued by then-British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, proclaimed Britain’s support for the establishment of a Jewish national home in then-Palestine.
Palestinian Arab organizations have long been waging a campaign aimed at forcing Britain to apologize for the document. The PA cabinet in Ramallah has demanded not just a British apology for the document, but also compensation.