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Balfour Declaration anniversary commemorations

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2026-11-02 18:38 UTC → 2026-11-02 22:43 UTC · added ~~removed~~

On the 109th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, various groups issued statements and held demonstrations to protest the historical impact of the 1917 British mandate. In Auckland, New Zealand, protesters held a rally at Te Komititanga Square, marking 160 consecutive weeks of demonstrations regarding the conflict in Gaza. Participants described the declaration as a colonial betrayal and urged New Zealand political leaders to recognize the State of Palestine and impose sanctions on Israel. Speakers at the event drew parallels between the historical impact of the declaration and British colonial actions in New Zealand regarding Māori land. In the Palestinian territories, several political organizations, including the Palestinian Assembly for the Homeland and Diaspora, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Arab Liberation Front, characterized the declaration as a colonial crime that laid the groundwork for decades of displacement and settlement expansion. They emphasized that the historical implications of the promise remain central to the current conflict, particularly regarding the war in Gaza and settler activity in the West Bank. Expanding on these commemorations, groups such as Hamas, the Palestinian Assembly for the Homeland and Diaspora, and the Arab Liberation Front issued further statements asserting that the legacy of the declaration persists through current Israeli policies in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. These organizations described these policies as involving ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. Leaders, including Mohammad Shreim of the Palestinian Assembly and Mahmut Arıkan of the Saadet Party, called on the international community and Islamic nations to move beyond verbal condemnations and take concrete political, diplomatic, and economic actions to protect Palestinian rights and the right of return for refugees.

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