Palestinian presidency deplores UK invitation to Netanyahu to Balfour Declaration centennial

Palestinian President Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeinah on Tuesday deplored Britain's invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attend celebrations of the centennial of the Balfour Declaration.

Britain "is responsible for the disaster of the Palestinian people a hundred years ago," Abu Rudeinah said in statements by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

"Instead of correcting the historic mistake and recognizing the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, it is preparing to celebrate an incident considered by the Arab world and the international community as a tragic reason that the Palestinian people and the Arab region is paying for," the spokesperson said.

Abu Rudeinah urged the British government to correct this mistake in order to maintain security and stability in the region.

On Monday, British Prime Minister Theresa May told his Israeli counterpart that Britain and Israel will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Balfour declaration, but she stressed London's commitment to a two-state solution.

The Balfour Declaration, which confirms the British government's support for establishing a "national home" for Jewish people in Palestine, came after three years of negotiations between the British Government and British Jewish community and the Zionist Organization before it was dispatched as a letter signed by Arthur Balfour.

The letter was presented to then U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who approved its content before publishing it. It was also approved by France and Italy officially in 1918, then publicly adopted by Wilson in 1919.

In 1920, it was adopted by the San Remo Conference that was held in the aftermath of World War I and the declaration was incorporated in the British Mandate. Endit