In this episode, we explore the “Britain Owes Palestine” campaign, a landmark demand for historical accountability and justice. A group of Palestinians has submitted a detailed 400-page legal petition to the UK government, arguing that Britain must formally acknowledge, apologise for, and make reparations for its actions in Palestine from 1917 to 1948 — actions they say laid the foundations for the modern Israeli-Palestinian conflict and continue to reverberate today.

Drafted by a team of leading international lawyers and historians, including Ben Emmerson KC, Danny Friedman KC, Avi Shlaim, John Quigley and Victor Kattan, the petition sets out what its sponsors describe as “incontrovertible evidence” of violations of international law during Britain’s Mandate — from the Balfour Declaration to alleged systemic repression, unlawful occupation policies, and the impact of partition.

Led by 91-year-old philanthropist Munib Al Masri and 13 other petitioners whose lives were shaped by colonial-era violence and displacement, the campaign seeks more than an apology: it demands a reckoning and tangible reparative justice.

Join us as we unpack the historical claims, legal arguments, and broader implications of this bold push for accountability, historical truth, and what justice might look like a century on.

Dr Victor Kattan is a public international law scholar and a member of the expert legal team behind the Britain Owes Palestine campaign, which calls on the UK to acknowledge and make reparations for its actions during the Mandate period. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham and Deputy Director of the Nottingham International Law and Security Centre. His research focuses on the history of international law, colonial responsibility, and the legal foundations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and he is the author of From Coexistence to Conquest.

International Law in Crisis: Episode 13 - Britain Owes Palestine