Today the Balfour Project becomes the Britain Palestine Project
Posted: 13th March 2025
Today the Balfour Project becomes the Britain Palestine Project.
At this crucial moment in the history of the Middle East, as we witness attempts to eliminate international law from international relations, we believe this is the right time for our charity to evolve. After thorough discussions and valuable advice from our stakeholders, we have decided that from 13 March we will be known as the Britain Palestine Project (BPP).
This was no easy decision. Since the charity was formed eight years ago, the Balfour Project name has become widely recognised and, I hope, respected both in the UK, where our advocacy and educational work is focused, and elsewhere. But greater public awareness brought with it controversy. Some people assumed – wrongly – that the name implied we were apologists for the 1917 Balfour Declaration, when Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour promised the Zionist movement British support for a Jewish homeland in the Ottoman territory of Palestine. Now is not the time to be operating with a name that requires explanation.
In reality, our charity stands for something very different. We demand redress for the historic injustices done to the Palestinian people during the period of British imperial rule and subsequently, after Britain abandoned Palestine in 1948. At the same time, we endorse Britain’s recognition of the State of Israel in 1950.
Our charity deplores the many grave human rights violations inflicted on Palestinians, not least the continued illegal Occupation of 1967 denying their right to self-determination, and now the brutal onslaught on Gaza. We also acknowledge the right of Israelis to live in peace and security within the pre-June 1967 boundaries of their state. Security and peace must be a two-way street. Our approach will remain evidence based, historically informed and rooted in upholding international law.
What distinguishes the Britain Palestine Project is our emphasis on British responsibility and with it the duty to compensate for past mistakes by leading efforts to achieve a just and peaceful resolution, commensurate with Britain’s current positions as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council and self-declared upholder of international law world-wide. We aim to make Britain’s historic responsibility and contemporary role in the region a permanent part of our national conversation.
With your support, the Britain Palestine Project will work tirelessly to advance the cause of a just peace with equal rights for both peoples.
We will be holding screenings of our new documentary, from Nakba to Camp David, including special sessions for our supporters, running podcasts on international law and holding our annual conference on the 8th May. Full details will be shared in the coming weeks and will appear on our new website.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Whitley, Chair, Britain Palestine ProjectWatch livestream of rebrand today at 1pm