AMP honors victims of ethnic cleansing by redoubling efforts for justice

National grassroots group remembers date of Balfour Declaration

Ninety-three years ago, on Nov. 2, 1917, Lord Arthur James Balfour issued the now-infamous Balfour Declaration, paving the way for a Jewish national homeland in the sacred land of Palestine. The short, three-paragraph letter affirmed Britain’s “sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations,” and so set into motion the series of events that resulted in the partition of Palestine and the beginning of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.

National grassroots group remembers date of Balfour Declaration

(CHICAGO 11/03/2010) – Ninety-three years ago, on Nov. 2, 1917, Lord Arthur James Balfour issued the now-infamous Balfour Declaration, paving the way for a Jewish national homeland in the sacred land of Palestine. The short, three-paragraph letter affirmed Britain’s “sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations,” and so set into motion the series of events that resulted in the partition of Palestine and the beginning of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.

Today, 9 million Palestinians live in exile – either outside their homeland or as internally displaced persons in refugee camps. Palestinians make up 40 percent of the world’s refugees – the largest refugee group; fully 74 percent of all Palestinians are refugees. Ethnic cleansing continues unabated today with Israel’s continual home demolitions, settlement expansion, the continued construction of the Apartheid Wall and murderous campaigns against civilians, whether conducted by the Israeli military or militant illegal settlers.

The American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) marks the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration somberly and in remembrance of the countless people who have lost their lives or are still suffering today under Israel’s brutal occupation. At the same time, AMP urges our supporters and all people of conscience to redouble our efforts to bring justice to the Palestinian people so they will not have suffered and died in vain.

“The best way we can honor the scores of Palestinians who have fallen victim to the Zionist colonial enterprise is to redouble our efforts to raise awareness about the issue and to pressure Congress to change U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East,” said Dr. Hatem Bazian, AMP chairman and professor of Near Eastern and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. “America’s unconditional support of Israel weakens the U.S. stance in the Arab and Muslim world and threatens our national security, not to mention it undermines the core American values of liberty and justice.”

AMP urges you to continue to educate yourself about Palestine and to continue to speak up and speak out. AMP also invites you to attend our conferences, in New Jersey in November, or in Chicago in December. For more information about the AMP conference, please visit conference.ampalestine.org.

The American Muslims for Palestine is a national, grassroots organization whose mission is to educate the American public about issues pertaining to Palestine and its rich, cultural heritage. For more information, call us at 888.404.4267 or email us at [email protected]">[email protected].