Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand
2 November 2026
Today marks 109 years since the Balfour Declaration of 2 November 1917, when the British government formally expressed its support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
This declaration was made at a time when Palestine was already home to an established Palestinian population with deep historical, cultural and social connections to its land. Yet the people whose homeland was being discussed were neither consulted nor given a voice in determining their future.
While the declaration referred to safeguarding the civil and religious rights of Palestine’s existing non-Jewish communities, it failed to recognise their political and national rights, including their right to self-determination.
The declaration subsequently became incorporated into the British Mandate for Palestine, approved by the League of Nations in 1922. It helped shape the political framework under which Britain administered Palestine and contributed to the historical developments that profoundly affected generations of Palestinians.
A declaration made without the consent of a people cannot erase their identity, history or rights.
For Palestinians, the Balfour Declaration represents a defining moment in a history of external decisions, dispossession and the denial of national self-determination. Its consequences cannot be understood separately from the displacement of Palestinians, the Nakba of 1948 and the continuing denial of Palestinian freedom and sovereignty.
109 years later, the Palestine Forum of New Zealand calls for:
- An honest acknowledgement of Britain’s historical responsibility for the consequences of the Balfour Declaration and its role in Palestine.
- Recognition of the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and national independence.
- Respect for international law, including the rights of Palestinians throughout Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Palestinian communities displaced in 1948 and their descendants.
- Meaningful international action to end the occupation, uphold Palestinian rights and ensure accountability for violations of international law.
Britain’s historical decisions cannot be undone, but their legacy must not be ignored. Historical responsibility must be accompanied by meaningful action in the present.
109 years have passed. Generations of Palestinians have lived with the consequences of decisions made about their homeland without their consent. Their identity, history and right to self-determination have not disappeared.
Palestine is not a promise made by Britain. It is the homeland of a people with an enduring right to freedom, dignity and self-determination.