Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accompanied by his wife Sarah, attended today a celebratory event in London for the centennial of the Balfour Declaration, in which the United Kingdom expressed its support 100 years ago for establishing a national home for the Jewish people in British-mandated Palestine. Before boarding his plane last night, Prime Minister Netanyahu voiced his appreciation for the British gesture, emphasizing the significance of such a move. Netanyahu also took the opportunity to refer to the Palestinian position, which views the Balfour Declaration as a tragedy, stressing that the only tragedy is the ongoing refusal of the Palestinians to accept the Jewish right for a state in their ancestral homeland. Netanyahu said, We’re going to mark a very important centenary – 100 years for the declaration of the Balfour Declaration, which recognized the right of the Jewish people for their national home in this land. I very much appreciate this gesture by the Prime Minister of Britain and the Government of Great Britain. The Palestinians say that the Balfour Declaration was a tragedy. It wasn’t a tragedy. What has been tragic is their refusal to accept this 100 years later. I hope they change their mind, because if they do they can move forward finally to making peace between our two peoples,” the Israeli leader asserted.
During the ceremony, British Prime Minister Theresa May declared that the Balfour Declaration obligates Britain to resume efforts to attain a sustainable peace agreement that would serve the interests of Israel, the Palestinians and the entire international community. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu held a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to discuss diplomatic and economic matters. Sources told TV7 that the meetings focused, among others, on practical proposals on how to deal with the failures of the nuclear agreement with Iran, which Netanyahu emphasized, continues to wreak havoc across the Middle East.