BICOM

The Palestinian Authority (PA) foreign minister yesterday asked the Arab League for support in filing a law suit against the UK government for publishing the Balfour Declaration a century ago, which enshrined British support for a Jewish national home in the land of Israel.

PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki was addressing the Arab League’s annual summit in Mauritania. He asked for the body to “help us bring a suit against the British government”. He said that following the Balfour Declaration of 1917, “hundreds of thousands of Jews arrived from Europe and other places in Palestine at the expense of our people”. Al-Malki further claimed that alleged “Israeli crimes committed against our people since the end of the British Mandate, and the massacres that occurred in 1948 and after” are consequently Britain’s responsibility.

There was no response from the government nor was there any indication as to where the PA might attempt to file such a suit or whether they would claim damages.

The Balfour Declaration was signed by then Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour in 1917, declaring the support of the British government for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in what was then the Ottoman-Turkish region of Palestine. The Balfour Declaration is considered to be a seminal document in the diplomatic process which led to the establishment of the British Mandate and ultimately the State of Israel.

Also at the Arab League summit Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz called for fresh efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Arab foreign ministers expressed support for both the current French multi-lateral initiative and the Egyptian push for a regional process. However, neither Egypt’s President al-Sisi, nor Saudi Arabia’s King Salman attended the summit, for internal and health reasons respectively. The two countries are considered the most significant within the Arab League.