A government spokesman said today that any move to expel Israel from the United Nations would be opposed by Britain because “it would seriously damage the prospects for successfully negotiating a settlement of the Arab-Israel dispute and it would gravely damage the credibility of the UN.” David Ennals, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said it was of great importance that the charter of the UN be respected and its procedures respected as well.
He spoke in the House of Commons in reply to Labor MP Alan Lee Williams, who said that Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s recent attack on the Third World nations for using the UN as a political weapon should not be used as a pretext to weaken, its charter. “We believe in the universality of the UN as well as strict observance of the charter,” Ennals said.
He also explained, in reply to Leslie Huck- field, chairman of the parliamentary branch of the Labor Friends of Israel, why the British delegation to the recent UN-sponsored International Women’s Conference in Mexico City abstained rather than voted against a resolution equating Zionism with colonialism and calling for its elimination.
“On every vote with reference to Zionism at the Mexico conference, the British government made their position clear. It was only in the final declaration that we did not support it but we abstained because had we voted against, we would have voted against the principal contents of the declaration which was concerned with women’s rights.” Ennals said.
He added, “We take a strong view that it would be damaging to the UN interests and contrary to the spirit of universality of the UN for any action to be taken which would seek to exclude a member state and any proposals for the expulsion or exclusion of Israel.”
HOPES REASON WILL PREVAIL
Referring to the Jidda conference of 40 Islamic foreign ministers which voted yesterday to seek the expulsion of Israel from the UN, Ennals said such an initiative would be unhelpful. “We cannot at this stage say what initiative will be taken at the UN, and most of us hope that reason will prevail,” he said.
Mrs. Audrey Wise, a Conservative MP, asked what part the government would play in ensuring that any such threats would be resisted strongly. Ennals replied that British policy was based on Resolution 242 which accepts Israel’s right to live in secure, recognized boundaries and also requires the need for Israeli withdrawal. “The two things have to be looked at together and it would be wrong to take one part of a policy and say it is our whole policy.” he said.
Referring to Egypt’s announcement that it would not agree to the extension of the UNEF mandate after July 24, Ennals said in reply to another question that Britain felt it was important that the UNEF remain. He said the proximity of the date for the end of its mandate emphasized the urgency of achieving success in the current talks aimed at an interim agreement between Israel and Egypt.
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.
