Arabic press review: Arab League demands British apology for Balfour Declaration
Britain must apologise for Balfour Declaration
The Arab League has called on the United Kingdom to assume its historical, legal and moral responsibility by apologising to the Palestinian people on the 104th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.
On 2 November 1917, British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour promised the Zionist Federation that his government “viewed with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and would use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object”.
The Arab League on Tuesday called on Britain to recognise the Palestinian state within pre-June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, to support the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in accordance with the two-state solution, the Egyptian newspaper Youm7 reported.
The Cairo-based Arab League is made up of 22 member states.
The League also called for pressure on Israel to end its violation of Palestinian rights and its occupation of Palestinian lands. It urged the international community to assume its responsibilities in “stopping the crimes of the Israeli occupation, imposing sanctions on its colonial and settler regime, and providing international protection to the Palestinian people.”
Egyptian prisoner files complaint against ministers
Detained Egyptian opposition figure Ahmed Douma has filed a complaint against two ministers for not allowing him to complete his studies, the Arabi21 news website reported.
The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE), an independent Egyptian human rights organisation, said that it had filed a complaint on behalf of the activist, objecting to the decision to prevent him from completing his studies online. The complaint was against both the minister of higher education and the minister of interior.
Douma, sentenced to 15 years in prison, is a student at the Institute of Research and Arab Studies.
AFTE said that "the administration of the institute has stipulated the written approval of the prison authority sector to allow Douma to attend examinations and online lectures.”
Turkish lawsuit against ‘Israeli war criminals’
A group of Turkish lawyers on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Israeli officials over attacks on occupied Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip last May, the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reported.
The lawsuit was filed in the names of seven civilian victims, most of whom are children, and was submitted at the criminal court through the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office.
At least 292 people were been killed between 7 and 21 May, including at least 71 children and 45 women. The vast majority were Palestinian.
“In their search for justice and retribution against criminals, some families of children who lost their lives in these attacks have submitted a request to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul, through their lawyer in Turkey, to prosecute the perpetrators of these massacres,” Palestinian human rights defender Saeed al-Dahshan said as he read a statement issued by the legal team in Arabic.
The lawsuit is seeking the trial of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the army chief of staff Aviv Kochavi, defense minister Benny Gantz, commander of the Air Force Amiram Norkin, and other Israeli military officials.
The US says must protect Gulf waters from Iran
The US defence department says that “ongoing Iranian threats” in the Middle East are being treated with "caution" by the United States and international forces, Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
"Protecting the waterways and straits is a must in light of the continuing causes of instability," spokesperson for the US Naval Forces Central Command (Navcent) Tim Hawkins told the Saudi newspaper.
Hawkins said US forces "continue to maintain constant vigilance through cooperation with regional partners," noting that "protecting the freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade is essential to regional maritime security and stability in the face of persistent threats."
On Wednesday, the Pentagon rejected claims by Iran's Revolutionary Guards that they thwarted an attempt by the US to detain a tanker carrying the Islamic Republic's oil in the Gulf of Oman.
Iran has repeatedly warned Washington about its military activities in the Gulf, saying that the Guards' naval forces have increased patrols to also secure the passage of Iranian ships and combat fuel smuggling.
Arabic press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.
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