Trade union backing for a  pro-Palestinian march in central London on the same weekend as the Balfour Centenary commemorations has been condemned by the Board of Deputies.

The National Union of Teachers, Unison, the GMB, Aslef and Unite The Union are among a near unanimous show of support from the union movement for the  Justice Now: Make It Right For Palestine demonstration taking place on Saturday November 4.

The rally is organised by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, the Stop The War Coalition, the Friends of Al Aqsa and the Muslim Association Of Britain.

It will coincide with Balfour Shabbat – which will see synagogues of all denominations hosting their own celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.

Responding to the union movement’s decision to back the PSC march, Board president Jonathan Arkush said: "If these groups had spent the last 100 years making the positive case for Palestine that we make for Israel, there might now be two states living side by side and in peace.

“While they mope out in the cold, we'll be celebrating the Balfour Centenary in upbeat events right across the country. They should reflect on this as they continue their doomed campaign of rejectionism and negativity."

Advance literature from the march, which uses official logos from all trade unions, states: “For the past 100 years Palestinian rights have been disregarded. As we approach the centenary of the Balfour Declaration – on the 2nd November – which built the path for their dispossession, we are demanding justice and equal rights for Palestinians now.”

Speakers at the event include anti-Zionists John Pilger, Tariq Ali and Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union.