PA Shari’ah Judge Abdallah Harb: “A message to Britain, which brought us the oppressive enemy (i.e., the Jews) through the Balfour Promise (i.e., Declaration)
PA Shari’ah Judge Abdallah Harb: “A message to Britain, which brought us the oppressive enemy (i.e., the Jews) through the Balfour Promise (i.e., Declaration), which was the basis for the establishment of the oppressive entity (i.e., Israel). Britain acted very late (i.e., recognizing “Palestine” on Sept. 21, 2025), and this is an opportunity for it to correct the historical mistake.”
[Official PA TV, Sept. 26, 2025] Official PA TV broadcast this from the Friday prayers and sermon by PA Shari’ah Judge Abdallah Harb at a mosque in Surda, northeast of Ramallah.
The Balfour Declaration of Nov. 2, 1917 was a letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Baron Rothschild stating that “His Majesty's government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” In 1922, the League of Nations adopted this and made the British Mandate “responsible for putting into effect the declaration,” which led to the UN vote in favor of partitioning Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state in 1947. In response, Britain ended its mandate on May 15, 1948, and the Palestinian Jews, who accepted the Partition Plan, declared the independent State of Israel. The Palestinian Arabs rejected the plan and together with 7 Arab states attacked Israel, in what is now known as Israel’s War of Independence.