LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing pressure from a group of MPs within his ruling Labour party to apologize and consider paying reparations to Palestinians for Britain’s role during the period of the British Mandate in Palestine between 1917 and 1948.
In an open letter addressed to the prime minister, nearly 20 Labour parliamentarians called on the government to acknowledge what they described as Britain’s historical responsibility for “war crimes” committed during its administration of the territory, The Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday.
The initiative was organized by the campaign group Britain Owes Palestine, which argues that the UK must confront its past involvement in the region.
The letter states that Britain “gave away Palestine, a land we had no right to give,” when it withdrew in 1948 following the UN-backed plan to partition the territory.
The withdrawal led to the establishment of the state of Israel and the outbreak of war, events that remain central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
