Edinburgh University Has Not Apologized to Palestinians for the Balfour Declaration
The Claim
The University of Edinburgh apologizes for Balfour Declaration.
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Emerging story
Recently, a picture has gone viral on the social media platform X claiming to be an apology for the Balfour Declaration, purportedly issued by the University of Edinburgh to the Palestinian people.
Misbarโs Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be fake.
The University of Edinburgh has not recently issued an apology to the Palestinian people for the Balfour Declaration. Moreover, the text within the alleged apology is fictional and was crafted for a theatrical production set in 2043.
A Clarification From the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities
In response to a user's inquiry on the X platform, the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities of the University of Edinburgh clarified that the letter is "a fictional text" created for a private performance of a dance theatre piece set in 2043. They asserted that โitโs not an official statement from the university.โ
Misbar Arabic contacted the University of Edinburgh and received confirmation regarding the statement made by the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities under its purview. The university's response explicitly states, "This is not an official statement issued by the University of Edinburgh. It is a fictional text written for a special theatrical event."
Balfourโs Historical Link to the University of Edinburgh
The Balfour Declaration, a concise 76-word letter sent in 1917 by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lionel Walter Rothschild, the leader of the Jewish community in Britain (also known as Lord Rothschild). This declaration pledged support for establishing a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine.
At the time of the Balfour Declaration, Lord Arthur Balfour concurrently held the position of the Chancellor at the University of Edinburgh, to which he was appointed in 1891 until his death in 1930.
The Ongoing War on Gaza
This claim emerges amidst the backdrop of Israel's ongoing aerial bombardment and military ground operations in the Gaza Strip. In a tragic incident on Sunday, December 17, Israel targeted the maternity building at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, leading to the tragic death of a wounded child named Dania Abu Mohsen. Previously, she had lost all her family members and her lower limbs in a prior airstrike.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip reported that the Israeli occupation forces raided Al-Awda Hospital, investigating its staff and detaining its director, Ahmed Mahna.
On December 18, Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, the general director of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, reported to CNN Arabic that the recent Israeli attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip have caused a death toll of at least 110 people and left dozens injured within the past 24 hours.
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