100 years on, Balfour Declaration still divides
At almost every public appearance over the past week, Palestinian politicians have reiterated their demand that Britain apologize for the 1917 Balfour Declaration -- a document that laid the groundwork for Israel's creation -- while Israelis have prepared to celebrate the declaration's centennial.
Israel says the document paved the way for the country's creation at a time when Jews were discriminated against in Europe, while British Prime Minister Theresa May said her country should be "proud" of the declaration -- but Palestinians view it in an altogether different light.
They are marking the centennial on Thursday with protests in the West Bank and Gaza because of the role they say the declaration played in leading to the 1948 Nakba, or “Catastrophe”, when more than 700,000 Palestinians were displaced upon Israel's establishment.