Palestine diplomat decries ‘tragic’ Balfour Declaration

By Ugur Cil

ANKARA (AA) - Britain had no right to give away Palestinian land in 1917 and the Zionists had no right to establish a state on it 31 years later, Palestinian Ambassador to Turkey Faed Mustafa said Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, Mustafa described the infamous Balfour Declaration -- which will mark its centennial on Thursday -- as “the beginning of the Palestinian peoples’ tragedy”.

The declaration, Mustafa pointed out, had endorsed the notion of a “national homeland for the Jewish people” in Palestine as long as the indigenous population’s “civil and religious rights” were respected.

The ambassador went on to note, however, that the fateful declaration said nothing about Palestinians’ political rights.

He also noted that the U.K.’s stance on the issue had not changed in the last 100 years, with London still declining to apologize for the declaration, which, he said, had led to untold Palestinian suffering.

Britain “continues to refrain from recognizing an independent Palestinian state”, Mustafa said, describing this as an “immoral position” and calling on the U.K. to take responsibility for -- and take steps to rectify -- its “historical mistake”.

When asked why Palestinians chose to mark the declaration’s anniversary, he said: “Because we continue to feel its effects; the tragedy of the Palestinian people continued long after Israel’s establishment [in 1948].”

According to Mustafa, Palestinians will continue to demand their right at all levels -- politically, legally and in terms of civil society -- and from whatever platforms available to them, including from Turkey.

“Political relations with Britain must be reviewed,” he said. “Arrangements must be made with British and European civil-society organizations with a view to pressuring the U.K. government to change its position and rectify its historical fault.”