About this episode

This episode discusses the 'Britain Owes Palestine' campaign, which demands historical accountability and reparations from the UK for its actions in Palestine during the Mandate period.

In this episode, we explore the “Britain Owes Palestine” campaign , a landmark demand for historical accountability and justice. A group of Palestinians has submitted a detailed 400-page legal petition to the UK government , arguing that Britain must formally acknowledge, apologise for, and make reparations for its actions in Palestine from 1917 to 1948 — actions they say laid the foundations for the modern Israeli-Palestinian conflict and continue to reverberate today. Drafted by a team of leading international lawyers and historians, including Ben Emmerson KC, Danny Friedman KC, Avi Shlaim, John Quigley and Victor Kattan, the petition sets out what its sponsors describe as “incontrovertible evidence” of violations of international law during Britain’s Mandate — from the Balfour Declaration to alleged systemic repression, unlawful occupation policies, and the impact of partition. Led by 91-year-old philanthropist Munib Al Masri and 13 other petitioners whose lives were shaped by colonial-era violence and displacement, the campaign seeks more than an apology: it demands a reckoning and tangible reparative justice. Join us as we unpack the historical claims, legal arguments, and…

People in this episode

Host: Diana Safieh

Topics covered

• historical accountability
• international law
• reparations
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• colonial-era violence
• legal petition

Keywords

• Britain Owes Palestine
• historical accountability
• reparations
• international law
• Balfour Declaration
• Mandate period
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• legal petition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Britain Owes Palestine

Places: UK, Palestine

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