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Balfour opponents ‘are extremists’, Regev says

Israeli ambassador to UK attacks those demanding an apology for 1917 declaration

October 29, 2017 13:03
Mark Regev, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, speaking at the Board of Deputies meeting on Sunday
1 min read

Those who say they oppose the 1917 Balfour Declaration are exposing themselves as extremists, Israel’s ambassador to the UK Mark Regev has said.

Mr Regev told a special Board of Deputies meeting to commemorate Balfour’s centenary that its opponents had revealed attitudes that were “problematic”.

He said much of the argument had centred around the first portion of the declaration text: “His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”.

That sentence, Mr Regev told the audience, is “not about the final borders of peace between Israel and its neighbours, it’s not about the future of the settlements, it’s not about the final state of Jerusalem in peace.”