Marking the Balfour Declaration centenary
This year marks historic anniversaries in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 100 years since the Balfour Declaration conveying British support for a national homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine; 50 years since the start of the Israeli military occupation of Palestine; and 10 years since the beginning of the blockade of Gaza.
This week Quakers say, "In 2014, Quakers in Britain issued a statement calling on the UK Government to recognise the state of Palestine on the same basis as it recognises the state of Israel. The statement said, 'From our long-standing Quaker experience of working on this issue in Palestine, Israel and Britain, and from listening to the testimony of Quakers in Ramallah, we are convinced that the UK Government has a real role to play'.
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We ask the government to take action towards an end to the occupation...
- Quakers in Britain
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"On the centenary of the Balfour Declaration on 2 November, Quakers in Britain remain firm in our belief that the UK Government has both a historic responsibility and a current role to play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We ask our government to use this anniversary to take action towards an end to the occupation and to consider again the call to recognise the state of Palestine.
“We welcome efforts by the Balfour Project to raise awareness of the history and consequences of the Balfour Declaration. We look forward to their public event on 31 October in Methodist Central Hall Westminster providing a space for solemn reflection and action regarding the centenary."