Fatah high official demands that Britain would apologize for the Balfour Declaration
Headline: “105 years since the ominous Balfour Declaration”
“Chairman of the [Palestinian] National Council (i.e., the legislative body of the PLO) Rawhi Fattouh demanded that Britain bear its legal and moral responsibility for the disasters that have befallen the Palestinian people, for the expulsion, and for the refugeehood. This is with the passing of more than 100 years since the ominous Balfour Promise (i.e., Declaration), in which Britain unjustly gave the land of Palestine in 1917 to the Zionist gangs at the expense of the true owners of the land…
He called to unite the efforts of the Palestinians, Arabs, and freedom people of the world to pressure the British government, to require it to do justice with the Palestinian people, and to atone for its crime and its historical sin against our land and our people, who they, their ancestors, and their ancestors’ ancestors have lived in Palestine for thousands of years (sic., the Palestinians have no history prior to the modern period).
Fattouh also called on the British Parliament to immediately recognize the State of Palestine and its capital of East Jerusalem, pressure the occupation government to stop its violations and crimes against our people, and work to force Israel to return to the peace process, which is based on justice and equality according to the signed agreements…
The Fatah Movement emphasized that our people’s resolve, its adherence to the land of its historical homeland, its non-submission to the colonialist Zionist project, and the continuation of the resistance are what have thwarted the realization of the Balfour Declaration…
It emphasized that our people – which arose from the dust of the Nakba (i.e., “the catastrophe,” the Palestinian term for the establishment of the State of Israel), launched its glorious revolution in 1965 (refers to “the Launch” of Fatah, counted from its first terror attack against Israel -Ed.), and continued with its brave [first and second] Intifadas (i.e., Palestinian wave of violence and terror against Israel, approximately 200 Israelis murdered, 1987-1993; PA terror campaign 2000-2005, more than 1,100 Israelis murdered) and its resistance to the occupation – has thus proven that it is a people that adheres to its homeland, and that it will not relinquish its historical right to it and its legitimate national rights, and foremost among them: the [Palestinian refugees’] right of return, the right to self-determination, and the establishment of the independent Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem in the June 4 [1967] borders…
The PLO Department of Refugee Affairs said that our people is still paying the bill for the historical injustice caused as a result of the Balfour Declaration…
It demanded that Britain – the main party responsible for this crime – atone for the crime, apologize to our people, recognize its legitimate right to return to its lands, and recognize the independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem.”
Rawhi Fattouh also serves as Fatah Commissioner of International Relations
The Balfour Declaration of Nov. 2, 1917 was a letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Baron Rothschild stating that "His Majesty's government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." In 1922, the League of Nations adopted this and made the British Mandate "responsible for putting into effect the declaration," which led to the UN vote in favor of partitioning Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state in 1947. In response, Britain ended its mandate on May 15, 1948, and the Palestinian Jews, who accepted the Partition Plan, declared the independent State of Israel. The Palestinian Arabs rejected the plan and together with 7 Arab states attacked Israel, in what is now known as Israel's War of Independence.
Intilaqa - "the Launch" refers to the beginning of Fatah on Jan. 1, 1965, when it carried out its first terror attack against Israel, attempting to blow up Israel's National Water Carrier.
The first Intifada - Palestinian wave of violence and terror against Israel 1987-1993, approximately 200 Israelis murdered
The second Intifada – PA terror campaign (2000-2005) in which more than 1,100 Israelis were murdered.