UK Palestinian Forum raises $100,000 for Gaza

The Palestinian Forum in Britain raised some $100,000 through events in Manchester and London over the weekend, in commemoration of the 13th annual Palestine Day.

A day celebrated by the pro-Palestinian institution since 2004, hundreds of attendees gathered at its annual exhibition in Manchester on Saturday, and over a thousand in London the following day. The event featured speeches from numerous activists, broadcast the film “100 Balfour Road” which examined the document behind the creation of Israel, and aired another documentary on the ongoing siege on Gaza.

At the London event, the chairman of the forum, Hafez Al-Karmi, reiterated the calls of many pro-Palestinian activists this year and demanded the British government apologise for the Balfour Declaration.

He described the 1917 document as “one of the worst promises in history; where one gang leader distributes a stolen land to other thieves”.

Read: MPs call on UK to recognise Palestine to fulfil Balfour’s pledge

Many stalls at the event also gave attendees the opportunity to buy authentic Palestinian produce and support those living under occupation. Both days were concluded with a series of performances by Palestinian artists, including the traditional dabkeh dance.

Funds were also raised for the besieged Gaza Strip, where two million people suffer from an acute lack of basic food and medical supplies. Al-Karmi expressed his gratitude to the local community for continuing to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people by devoting their time and money to the cause.

The Palestinian Forum in Britain was also one of the organisers of the recent march condemning the UK government’s celebration of the Balfour Declaration. Attended by thousands of people in London, the march hosted numerous Palestinian and British personalities as well as Jewish and Muslim community leaders, united in calling for an end to the occupation of Palestine.