Prime Minister Harold Macmillan rejected today the imposition of sanctions on Israel. Speaking in Commons, the Prime Minister emphasized: “I don’t want to think in terms of sanctions. I want to think in terms of settlement.”
“We believe,” the Prime Minister said, “the Gaza Strip should be evacuated by Israel. We equally believe that it should be made a United Nations responsibility and that UN forces should be stationed there.
“We believe,” he continued, “that Israeli forces should retire from the western shores of the Gulf of Akaba. We equally believe that coupled with that withdrawal it should be made clear beyond peradventure both by the United Nations and the leading maritime countries that they regard that access to this waterway is free to the world.
“Thus we should achieve a solution which would be fair to all and would contribute towards an ultimate settlement of many problems of the area where peace and stability are of vital importance to the world. We have made this view clearto the American Government and our friends and allies. I am not without hope that a solution will be found along these lines,” Mr. Macmillan stated.
In response to questions from various MP’s, the Prime Minister agreed that it would be proper for Egypt to make a statement of non-belligerency at the same time Israel withdraws its forces, but noted that “it is a vital thing that this waterway (Gulf of Akaba) should be regarded as a free waterway to the world.” He also said that Britain would put its weight behind the view which “seems to us to be fair” in this matter and one which he thought an increasing number of people in all parts of the world believe to be fair.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
