'We won't forget': Palestinians mark Balfour anniversary with hope
On 2 November 1917, then British Foreign Secretary James Balfour signed off a document that promised Palestine as a homeland to the Jewish people. The fate of Palestinians was destroyed, leaving them displaced, betrayed and without a state.
A century later, Palestinians are now the world’s largest refugee group. Inside Israel, they face a regime of apartheid and systematic discrimination. In the West Bank, they are victim to settlement expansion and settler violence, and in Gaza, they are living in an open air prison under a ten year siege.
And yet, despite all of this, the British government refuses to identify its betrayal to the Palestinian people even though the declaration itself specifically promised them protection.
Using the #Balfour100 hashtag, Palestinians took to Twitter to express what the now 100-year-old document really means to them:
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British Prime Minister Theresa May's "pride" in the creation of Israel caused an outcry among Palestinian refugees:
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Some found it ironic that the British are celebrating the Balfour declaration when Zionist militias blew up their soldiers in Jerusalem at the King David Hotel. The militias carried out the attack on July 22 1946 – two years before Israel was created:
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Neverthless, in typical Palestinian fashion, many remained adamant that they will one day return to their homeland:
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Many were also insulted at the fact that Britain is celebrating the declaration, despite its obvious effect on Palestinians:
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Palestinian children themselves marked the day, showing the cause continues to live on from generation to generation:
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But above all, the support for Palestine and Palestinians came flooding from those who say they are on the right side of history:
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