Anti-Israel demonstrators vandalize a painting of Balfour, who supported the creation of the Jewish state

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Israel-Hamas war

by Nikki Mascully Rorty

An anti-Israel protester tore down and painted a 1914 painting of a British politician who played a key role in creating the Jewish state on Friday.

The Palestine Action Organization proudly boasts that one of its activists “destroyed” Philip Alexius de Laszlo’s historic painting of Lord Arthur James Balfour inside Trinity College, Cambridge University.

In 1917, Balfour pledged to support “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,” which eventually led to the creation of Israel in 1948.

He abandoned the homeland of the Palestinians, a land that he had no right to give up. Palestine Action said on its website.

The organization added that this courageous act, Which was captured in a video shared on InstagramIt is intended to symbolize “the bloodshed of the Palestinian people since the Balfour Declaration of 1917” and the conflict that followed Hamas' surprise October 7 attack on Israel.

The deadly attack killed 1,200 Israelis and led to the kidnapping of 240 others, while 30,000 Gazans were killed during the Israeli response, according to health officials allied with Hamas.

“Trinity College regrets the damage caused to the image of Arthur James Balfour during its public opening hours.” A spokesperson told the Cambridge Independent.

“Police have been notified. Support is available to any member of the college community affected.”

Cambridgeshire Police said it had received an online report of “criminal damage” to the artwork and officers were investigating.

“No arrests have been made at this stage.” She added.