The Palestinian Authority is formally requesting £2 trillion in reparations from the United Kingdom, citing historical grievances related to the British Mandate period and alleged damages from British colonial policies that facilitated Jewish settlement in Palestine.
To clarify, on Monday, September 22nd, 2025, following the UK’s recognition of Palestinian statehood on Sunday, September 21, 2025, PA President Mahmoud Abbas called for reparations for Britain’s Mandate-era policies, including the Balfour Declaration, which he said caused land loss and denied Palestinian self-determination.
The £2 trillion figure, cited by advocacy groups like Britain Owes Palestine, stems from historian Juan Cole’s estimate of the $2.5 trillion US dollar value of Israeli real estate, used to illustrate the potential scale of reparations. From 1917 to 1948, Britain colonized Mandatory Palestine and established the British Mandate.
At the same time, the 1917 Balfour Declaration expressed support for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. Following World War II and the Holocaust, Israel was re-established as a sovereign Jewish state in 1948.
Palestinians often reference this period, arguing that British policies during the Mandate contributed to their displacement, which explains current calls by the Palestinian Authority for reparations following Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state. UK Shadow Secretary of State Robert Jenrick rejected the demand as “a historical nonsense,” stating no taxpayer funds would be allocated to that. In UK politics, “shadow” means the opposition’s counterpart to a government minister. So, the Shadow Secretary of State is the person in the main opposition party who monitors and challenges the government’s Secretary, while also presenting their party’s alternative policies.
