More than 40 British lawmakers are calling on the UK government to formally apologise for Britain’s actions during its administration of Palestine in the early 20th century, arguing that the

country must confront its historical role in the region’s long-running conflict.

The demand follows the submission of a detailed 400-page legal petition to the government by the advocacy group Britain Owes Palestine. The document, prepared by prominent barristers Ben Emmerson and Danny Friedman, outlines what its authors describe as unlawful actions and potential war crimes committed during Britain’s administration of the territory between 1917 and 1948.

Despite being submitted in September, campaigners say they have not yet received a formal response from the government.

Legal claims over Britain’s historical role

The petition argues that British authorities violated international law during their control of Palestine. Among the allegations are the failure to recognise Arab self-determination, insufficient legal authority behind the historic Balfour Declaration, and responsibility for actions such as killings, torture, arbitrary detention, and large-scale home demolitions.

The legal filing focuses on the period of the British Mandate for Palestine, when Britain governed the territory under a mandate granted by the League of Nations.

Cross-party support for apology

Alongside the petition, 45 MPs and members of the House of Lords from several political parties signed an open letter urging the government to acknowledge Britain’s historical responsibility.

Among them is Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, the first UK parliamentarian of Palestinian descent. Moran said Britain had breached international laws that applied during its administration of the territory.

She argued that the consequences of those actions continue to shape the modern conflict.

“Successive governments have refused to acknowledge this record or offer a formal apology,” Moran said. “If Britain is serious about promoting peace in Gaza today, it must begin by confronting its historical role and recognising the harm caused.”

Historical roots of the dispute

Britain’s involvement in Palestine dates back to 1917, when the Balfour Declaration expressed British support for establishing a “national home for the Jewish people” in the territory.

In 1920, the League of Nations formally granted Britain administrative control over Palestine through the British Mandate, which included commitments to facilitate Jewish immigration and support governance structures in the region.

Historians say the arrangement created competing expectations among Jewish and Arab communities. Over the following decades, tensions escalated into periodic violence and uprisings.

Britain eventually withdrew in 1948 after the collapse of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. The withdrawal was followed by the declaration of the State of Israel and the outbreak of regional conflict.

Calls for recognition rather than compensation

Legal scholar Victor Kattan, who helped draft the petition, said the primary request is a public apology from the prime minister rather than financial compensation.

According to Kattan, campaigners believe an apology would acknowledge the suffering experienced by Palestinians during the period and help open a broader discussion about historical responsibility.

He suggested that forms of recognition could include adding the period of British rule in Palestine to the UK national school curriculum, presenting it in museums, or establishing a memorial.

Personal story behind the campaign

The petition is being led by Palestinian businessman and philanthropist Munib Al-Masri, who says he was wounded by British soldiers as a child during the mandate period and still carries shrapnel in his body.

Now 91, Al-Masri argues that Britain’s policies during its administration played a lasting role in shaping the region’s political reality.

“What Britain did in Palestine did not end when it left in 1948,” he said. “The policies and violence of that period helped create the conditions for the calamity we are living through today.”

Government response

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not commented on the petition, stating that it does not routinely respond to such submissions.

Campaigners say they will continue pressing the government for an official response and a broader public discussion about Britain’s historical role in Palestine. Photo by UK Parliament, Wikimedia commons.