Today marks the anniversary of the crime committed by colonial Britain through its infamous promise, the Balfour Declaration, which constituted one of the greatest organized crimes perpetrated against our people in their history. This declaration paved the way for the dispossession of Palestinian land by the Zionist movement, accompanied by systematic campaigns of forced displacement, the expulsion of the land’s rightful inhabitants, and the denial of their right to return.
The Balfour Declaration not only served the interests of the Zionist movement but also exposed the deep-rooted, organic ties between colonial and imperialist powers and the Zionist movement, as well as their shared objectives and interests in controlling Palestine and establishing hegemony over the Levant and West Asia. This year’s anniversary comes at a time when Zionist and Western imperialist attacks continue to be waged against the peoples of the region with the same brutality and bloodshed.
One hundred and nine years have passed since the Balfour Declaration, yet the resistance and struggle of our Palestinian people in defense of their land and historical rights have never ceased, despite all the challenges, conspiracies, and sacrifices. At the same time, Zionist plans aimed at eradicating the Palestinian presence from their homeland and liquidating their cause have never stopped.
For more than three years now, the genocidal war against our people in the Gaza Strip has continued, alongside the ongoing crimes of the Zionist entity in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and its racist policies against our people in the territories occupied in 1948. All of this is taking place amid the silence, support, and direct involvement of Western powers and US imperialism, which continue their aggression against Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon as well.
We, the Palestinian diaspora represented by the Union of Palestinian Communities and Organizations in Europe, reaffirm on this infamous anniversary that this declaration and promise are null and void, both in form and substance. History does not absolve criminals, and crimes do not become exempt from accountability with the passage of time. Britain must assume its historical, legal, and moral responsibility for the Balfour Declaration and its consequences.
The passage of more than a century since the Balfour Declaration has not altered the fundamental truth that the Palestinian people remain steadfast on their land, holding firmly to their right to freedom, return, and independence, regardless of how much time passes or how great the sacrifices may be.
We, in the Union of Palestinian Communities and Organizations in Europe, renew our pledge to remain faithful to the sacrifices of the martyrs, prisoners, and wounded, and to continue the struggle alongside all resistance forces and free people around the world to end the occupation, dismantle the Zionist project, and liberate the entirety of Palestinian land.
