Arab Muslim groups demand an apology for what they claim is the “crime” of the Balfour Declaration and say Britain must correct the “mistake” they made in 2017 in which Britain pledged to establish a national home for the Jewish people in their historical homeland, by supporting creation of a Palestinian state.

INN calling on the UK to apologize Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas joined the chorus infor the Balfour Declaration ahead of the centenary during a speech at the United Nations in New York last week.

“We ask Great Britai n, as we approach 100 years since this infamous declaration, to draw the necessary lessons and to bear its historic, legal, political, material and moral responsibility for the consequences of this declaration, including an apology to the Palestinian people for the catastrophes, misery and injustice this declaration created and to act to rectify these disasters and remedy its consequences, including by the recognition of the state of Palestine,” Mr Abbas said. “This is the least Britain can do.”

The November 2, 1917, Balfour Declaration was sent by then-British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour and proclaimed Britain’s support for the establishment of a Jewish national home in then-Palestine. Wednesday’s statement followed a protest rally by the national and Islamic forces outside the office of the British Cultural Council in Ramallah ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.

Bassam al-Salihi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) executive committee, said that the Palestinian Arabs are demanding that Britain recognize it made an error and apologize for the Balfour Declaration.

He added that Britain should correct its historical mistake against the Palestinian people by recognizing a Palestinian state and implementing the resolutions of the international institutions and by granting the right of self-determination to the Palestinian people and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

threaten to sue Britain over the document. In recent months, the PLO has headed a campaign in an attempt to force Great Britain to apologize for the Balfour Declaration. The organization has gone so far as toover the document.

The British government in April rejected the demand to apologize for the Declaration, saying, “The Balfour Declaration is an historic statement for which HMG (Her Majesty’s Government) does not intend to apologize. We are proud of our role in creating the State of Israel. The task now is to encourage moves towards peace.”