Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets on Thursday to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, in which then British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour promised a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine.
A major protest was organized in Ramallah while other protests were held in Jerusalem, Jenin, Salfit, Tubas, Hebron and Nablus to mark 100 years of the sorrowful occasion that has led to the displacement of two thirds of the Palestinian population in 1948.
The protesters, who included students, representatives of political factions, civil society figures, scouts and Palestinian security personnel, waved Palestine and black flags and called on the United Kingdom to apologize to the Palestinian people for the suffering they have experienced as a result of the declaration.
Meanwhile, Israeli police in Jerusalem quelled a march marking the Balfour centenary outside the British consulate in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in the city. The police reportedly physically assaulted some of the protesters for waving the flag of Palestine outside the British consulate.
In Gaza, anti-Balfour Declaration protests were held outside the United Nations building.
