Lord Nicholas Soames, Baron Soames of Fletching, Winston Churchill's grandson, and patron of the organization, hosted the reception.
Held in the historic River Room of the House of Lords overlooking the Thames and the London Eye, the event brought together civil society organizations and many other supporters in this field.
In bold opening remarks, Lord Soames called on the British government to acknowledge its historic responsibility and make up for past failings by playing a leading role today in promoting justice and equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis.
In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, in what is known as the Balfour Declaration, promised the Zionist movement the UK's support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
"The 1917 Balfour Declaration underscores British unfinished obligations to the Palestinian people," Lord Soames said. While proclaiming British support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, the Balfour Declaration made an explicit provision to the people living in Palestine by saying that nothing should be done to prejudice the civil and religious rights of its Arab inhabitants.
"A hundred and eight years on, these (promises) are, shamefully, clearly, not been upheld, creating a historic injustice that should weigh very heavily upon us in Britain," he added.
Redressing the historical injustice inflicted on Palestinians is paramount to the newly renamed British Palestine Project, formerly known as the Balfour Project. This registered UK charity is focused on educating the public about Britain’s historical role in Mandate Palestine and its current responsibilities in addressing "the conflict." It emphasises the British responsibility and duty to compensate for past mistakes by leading efforts to achieve a just and peaceful resolution. It advocates for equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians and encourages the UK government to recognize the state of Palestine.
According to Lord Soames, the UK must uphold equal standards when dealing with both sides to prevent discrimination. ''We cannot champion self-determination and statehood for the people of Ukraine while denying Palestinians the same rights," he said.
He called for Britain to finally recognize the state of Palestine, which would serve the country's national interest and be the right thing to do.
Lord Soames clarified that "recognizing Palestinian statehood is not in any way anti-Israel. It simply affirms the equal rights of both Palestinians and Israelis," adding, "I strongly believe that is also in the long-term interest of the people of Israel. Without Palestine, Palestinian self-determination alongside Israel, there will be no Peace."
Admitting that the two-state solution is slipping away and peace talks have stalled, Lord Soames believes that the UK's recognition of Palestine would galvanize diplomacy and send a clear message that the status quo is unacceptable. "It would be truly shameful for Britain to withhold recognition any longer," he iterated. "The World Bank, the IMF, and the UN have long acknowledged that Palestine fulfils the criteria for statehood."
In front of the same multicultural and multireligious audience, chair of the British Palestine Project Andrew Whitley stressed that "The name change reaffirms our primary focus on Britain's role, past and present, in what was the Mandate Territory of Palestine: the home of two peoples who must, in future, enjoy both equal rights and equality of security. They are interdependent. One side can never be subordinated to the other, morally, legally or practically."
Instead of being a follower, Whitley called on the British government to be a leader in helping bring about a better outcome for Palestinians than is now in prospect.
"How things turn out, for better or worse, will depend on two things. First and foremost is political willpower on the part of key regional countries and their Western allies, notably Britain, to resist negative proposals and insist on solutions based on upholding the rights of the Palestinian people. The second is …. the defence of international law and international legal institutions. The recent outcome of the Cairo Summit of Arab states was an excellent start. I congratulate Egypt on its skillful management of the meeting".
Andrew Whitley underscored that "the Balfour Project consistently called for our government to recognize Palestine now, not at a future date, and to do it together with our allies. The Britain Palestine Project will pick up the same banner."
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