Showbiz
Charles Dance: Britain f***ed up with the Balfour Declaration and should apologise
The actor claimed peace will not be achieved in the Middle East until the declaration is ‘unpicked’
September 12, 2025 14:19
The actor claimed peace will not be achieved in the Middle East until the declaration is ‘unpicked’
September 12, 2025 14:19Britain "f***ed up" by drawing up and issuing the Balfour Declaration and it must be “unpicked” in order to achieve peace in the Middle East, actor Charles Dance has claimed.
Dance, who has a long string of stage and screen credits to his name, and is known for playing villains such as Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones, believes Britain should apologise for the landmark 1917 document, which set out the government’s support for the creation of a Jewish homeland in what was then Palestine.
“I’m a bit obsessed at the moment with what’s happening in the Middle East, he said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. “Anyone with a conscience should be.”
The actor went on "Even if [the Israel-Hamas war] stopped tomorrow, there would not be peace in the Middle East until the Balfour Declaration is unpicked.
"France and England need to announce: ‘Sorry, we f***ed up’.”
The Balfour Declaration was created during the First World War by then-UK foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour. The statement to support a national homeland for the Jews, together with an earlier similar statement from France, helped pave the way for the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
Pressed by the interviewer on whether he believes the Jewish people need a homeland, Dance said: “It’s very complicated. And no, indeed [there wasn’t anywhere for the Jews to go]. But it’s very apparent the mess that was created.”
Asked about a recent incident at the Royal Opera House where a Palestinian flag was unrolled by a performer on stage, Dance replied: “Did it do any harm? Don’t think it did. Whether it did any good I don’t know, but at least it keeps the question alive.”
In October 2023, Dance was one of more than 2,000 creatives to sign an open letter under the banner "Artists for Palestine UK" that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the opening of Gaza’s crossings to allow in aid and an end to Western governments’ support for Israel.
Last year, he participated in the annual Palestine Festival of Literature, where he was one of a number of actors to read aloud the accusations against Israel regarding the alleged "genocide" in Gaza during the initial hearing of the case filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice.
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