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Palestinian resistance group Hamas has demanded that Britain apologize for the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which paved the way for the creation of Israel -- and the dispossession of the Palestinians -- in 1948.
Hamas issued its demand on Friday, which coincided with the infamous document’s 101st anniversary.
The Balfour Declaration was a letter sent by Britain’s then foreign secretary, Arthur James Balfour, to Lord Walter Rothschild, a prominent Zionist leader, on Nov. 2, 1917.
Palestinian resistance factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad have both vowed to continue organizing daily demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone until the rallies “achieve their objectives”.Following a late Thursday meeting between their leaders, the two groups released a joint statement emphasizing that “the rallies will continue, and their peaceful character will be maintained, until their objectives are met”.Since March 30, Gaza-based political factions -- especially Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- have organized almost daily demonstrations along the buffer zone.Palestine's Hamas urges Brazil to revoke Jerusalem decisionProtesters demand the right to return to their homes and villages in historical Palestine, from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.They also demand an end to Israel’s 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its two million inhabitants of many basic commodities, including food, fuel and medicine.Since the rallies began some seven months ago, more than 200 Palestinians have been killed -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli troops deployed along the other side of the buffer zone.Israeli official says Khashoggi death 'despicable', but Iran greater challengeTruce talksHamas and Islamic Jihad have also welcomed recent efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the UN ostensibly aimed at ending the suffering of the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank and in blockaded Gaza.An informed Palestinian source told Anadolu Agency that Egypt’s intelligence agency, which is currently leading mediation efforts between the Palestinian factions and Israel, had made "significant progress" in truce negotiations.According to leaked information, the proposed agreement calls for easing Israel’s 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip in exchange for a halt to the ongoing protests along the buffer zone.Palestine’s Abbas, Egypt’s Sisi to hold talks SaturdayFor the last two weeks, delegations of Egyptian security officials have engaged in intense shuttle diplomacy between Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, where they have met with Hamas, Fatah and Israeli officials respectively.Last month, Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Qatar had agreed to finance the purchase of fuel needed to operate Gaza’s only functioning power plant.
Palestinian resistance factions vow to continue Gaza Strip rallies
In the letter, Balfour declares his government’s support for a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
In a Friday statement, Hamas demanded a British apology for the fateful document.
“Britain must apologize to the Palestinian people [for the Balfour Declaration and subsequent creation of Israel] and allow for the repatriation of refugees displaced from historical Palestine,” the statement read.
Hamas went on to stress the Palestinian people’s “right to resist the [Israeli] occupation until they have achieved their objective of total liberation”.
The resistance group, which has governed the blockaded Gaza Strip since 2007, also reiterated its longstanding rejection of any political or diplomatic normalization with Israel.
PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat, for his part, likewise called on Britain to apologize for the declaration.
“Britain must atone for its historic mistake and… offer an official apology to our people, recognize our state, and hold Israel accountable for its ongoing occupation and crimes,” Erekat said in a statement.
"More than a hundred years ago, Britain facilitated the process of ethnic cleansing in Palestine and, in flagrant violation of the values of international justice, celebrated [the 100th anniversary of] this occasion last year," he said.
Erekat added: "The Balfour Declaration continues to inspire the occupation government to pursue its policy of ethnic cleansing with a view to ending the Palestinian presence [in historical Palestine].”
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has called on Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro to revoke his decision to relocate the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.“We reject the Brazilian president-elect’s decision to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” leading Hamas member Sami Abu Zuhri tweeted Friday.He went on to describe the Brazilian leader’s decision as “an affront to the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nation”.Bolsonaro on Thursday announced his intention to relocate his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem once he formally assumes the presidency.Israeli police arrest 13 ultra-Orthodox JewsU.S. President Donald Trump sparked a world outcry last December after announcing plans to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel’s capital (which he did earlier this year).Ever since, the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah has rejected any U.S. role in the moribund Middle East peace process.Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.Palestine’s Abbas, Egypt’s Sisi to hold talks Saturday
Palestine's Hamas urges Brazil to revoke Jerusalem decision