Britain’s colonial legacy, the Balfour Declaration and the 75‑year Refugee Convention: systemic pathways to Palestinian justice and global refugee reform
Original framing: “Refugee Convention at 75: Britain owes Palestine an answer” — Middle East Eye
The Balfour Declaration of 1917 sits within a continuum of British imperial policies that re‑configured the Middle East, echoing earlier Ottoman land reforms and later settlement expansions. Historical analysis shows that the refugee regime was crafted in the aftermath of World War II, yet its provisions have been unevenly applied, reflecting power imbalances inherited from colonial legal structures.
The 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention exposes a web of colonial legacies, selective legal enforcement, and structural marginalisation that sustains Palestinian displacement.
By foregrounding Indigenous Palestinian knowledge, historical continuities, and cross‑cultural solidarities, we uncover the mechanisms through which power is reproduced and obscured. Scientific evidence of health and climate vulnerabilities, coupled with artistic expressions of resilience, underscores the urgency for integrated reparative policies. Implementing a truth commission, enforcing the right of return, and building regional climate‑resilient integration schemes can transform the current impasse into a pathway for justice, while educational reforms ensure that future generations recognize and rectify these systemic failures.