News / Food for Thought

Why is Palestine still the issue? (I)

Thursday, 17 August 2017 7:19 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 24 August 2017 7:38 AM ]

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In 1917 James Balfour, British Foreign Secretary wrote a letter to Lord Rothschild. In this letter he promised a national home for the Jewish people, on the land owned by Palestinians. This promise by the British to a land they did not own to a people that did not inhabit it, robbed the Palestinians of their possessions, creating 750,000 Palestinian refugees.

2017 represents 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. In 1967, Israel tripled the area it occupied by illegally annexing East Jerusalem and the West Bank by military force. Further, Israel created 350,000 more Palestinian refugees. The Israeli blockade of Gaza, and attacks in 2008, 2012 and 2014 have compounded the suffering of the people in a beleaguered strip. People of Gaza are unable to travel freely and are restricted to import essential materials for schools, building houses, hospitals and daily needs. Over 96% of water in Gaza is now unfit for human consumption, and electricity shortages occur daily. Diseases and malnutrition are rife, and according to the UN, by 2020 Gaza may become uninhabitable.

It is the combination of these tragic episodes for the Palestinians that we are marking. This is the time to unite and be a part of the movement to end their suffering. In 2017 Palestine Expo established a major platform in the center of London in order to push to end the oppression of the Palestinian people. Palestine Expo aims for unity and bringing justice and peace in Palestine. Professor Ilan Pappé, in this episode of Food for Thought gives an speech on why Palestine is still the issue.

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