Today, 2nd November 2017, on the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, one-hundred Conservative MPs and Peers have signed a letter published in the Daily Telegraph to celebrate the Balfour Declaration centenary.
The Conservative parliamentarians joined Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in “marking this anniversary with pride, and celebrating the friendship between the UK and Israel”.
The centenary today completes a year of celebrations, culminating tonight in a dinner co-hosted by the current Lord Balfour and Lord Rothschild, to be attended by Prime Minister Theresa May and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in London at Mrs May’s invitation.
The Balfour Declaration was a letter from UK Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Lord Rothschild (as a representative of the British Jewish Community and for passing on to the Zionist Federation) on 2nd November 1917 promising support for the creation of a national homeland for the Jewish people in the land of Israel.
The full letter appears as follows:
“Sir – Today marks the centenary of the Balfour Declaration; one of the most important letters in history which paved the way for the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.
We join the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary in marking this anniversary with pride, and celebrating the friendship between the UK and Israel.
It is fitting that the democratically elected leader of the world’s only Jewish state will join the Prime Minister in London today for this landmark moment in our two nations’ history.
At less than 70 years old, Israel has become one of modern history’s most remarkable success stories – a thriving democracy and a high-tech powerhouse.
As the architects of the Balfour Declaration, the UK retains a key role to play in the Middle East Peace Process and we hope that in this centennial year we can finally see progress towards a lasting two-state solution that guarantees security and dignity for the Israeli and Palestinian people”.
The Conservative MPs and Peers who signed the letter are as follows:
- Lord Polak CBE, CFI Honorary President
- Rt. Hon. Mark Harper MP
- Rt. Hon. Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG
- Rt. Hon. Lord Trimble
- Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers MP
- Nadhim Zahawi MP
- Lucy Allan MP
- Baroness Altmann CBE
- Rt. Hon. Lord Arbuthnot
- Baroness Bertin
- Bob Blackman MP
- Peter Bone MP
- Andrew Bowie MP
- Andrew Bridgen MP
- Lord Caine
- Maria Caulfield MP
- Colin Clark MP
- Simon Clarke MP
- James Cleverly MP
- Robert Courts MP
- Rt. Hon. Stephen Crabb MP
- Philip Davies MP
- Chris Davies MP
- David Davies MP
- Jonathan Djanogly MP
- Oliver Dowden CBE MP
- Baroness Eaton DBE DL
- Michael Fabricant MP
- Lord Farmer
- Lord Feldman
- Suella Fernandes MP
- Lucy Frazer QC MP
- George Freeman MP
- Lord Gadhia
- Lord Gold
- Zac Goldsmith MP
- Lord Grade of Yarmouth CBE
- Chris Green MP
- Rt. Hon. Robert Halfon MP
- Baroness Harding of Winscombe
- Trudy Harrison MP
- Gordon Henderson MP
- John Howell OBE MP
- Nigel Huddleston MP
- Alister Jack MP
- Bernard Jenkin MP
- Baroness Jenkin of Kennington
- Andrea Jenkyns MP
- Robert Jenrick MP
- Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate
- Rt. Hon. Gregory Knight MP
- John Lamont MP
- Rt. Hon. Lord Lansley CBE
- Pauline Latham OBE MP
- Jeremy Lefroy MP
- Lord Leigh of Hurley
- Jack Lopresti MP
- Craig Mackinlay MP
- Rachel Maclean MP
- Alan Mak MP
- Baroness Manzoor CBE
- Paul Masterton MP
- Lord McInnes of Kilwinning CBE
- Stephen McPartland MP
- Johnny Mercer MP
- Damien Moore MP
- Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP
- Mr James Morris MP
- Robert Neill MP
- Baroness Newlove
- Baroness O’Cathain OBE
- Dr Matthew Offord MP
- John Penrose MP
- Andrew Percy MP
- Chris Philp MP
- Lord Popat
- Dr Daniel Poulter MP
- Mark Pritchard MP
- Tom Pursglove MP
- Will Quince MP
- Baroness Redfern
- Mary Robinson MP
- Andrew Rosindell MP
- Douglas Ross MP
- Lee Rowley MP
- Paul Scully MP
- Baroness Shields OBE
- Lord Shinkwin
- Royston Smith MP
- Lord Sterling of Plaistow GCVO CBE
- Iain Stewart MP
- Lord Suri
- Robert Syms MP
- Rt. Hon. Lord Tebbit CH
- Derek Thomas MP
- Ross Thomson MP
- Maggie Throup MP
- Michael Tomlinson MP
- Justin Tomlinson MP
- Craig Tracey MP
- Martin Vickers MP
- Lord Wasserman
- Rt. Hon. John Whittingdale OBE MP
Source: Conservative Friends of Israel