Two Australian Cabinet Ministers indicated today that the Government had no intention of bowing to any Arab boycott of Australian trade with Israel.
The issue was raised in the House by W.C. Haworth, Liberal deputy, who asked External Affairs Minister Paul Hasluck if the Government was aware of the Qantas Airlines affair, which involved charges that the airline had canceled plans to open an office in Tel Aviv under Arab pressure. The Cabinet member replied that he had seen evidence of an organization known as the Arab Boycott League which had sent letters to Australian businessmen warning them of blacklisting if they traded with Israel.
The Minister added that the League was not an official organization and had no international standing. He called it a private organization carrying on “this campaign” against Israel, adding that Australian policy was “quite clear.” “We wish to live in friendly relations with Israel and the United Arab Republic and we believe that at present we do have friendly relations with both of them,” he said.
“Matters relating to Australian trade and freedom to trade with any country are entirely matters of the Australian Government,” he stressed. He said the Government would watch carefully any attempt to interfere with the freedom of Australian businessmen to trade freely with any part of the world.
G. Whitelam, the deputy leader of the opposition, then asked John McEwen, Minister of Trade, when he had first learned that Australian firms trading with Israel had been threatened. The Minister gave the same answer as his colleague and added he would be prepared to examine any particular case of boycott threats on its merits.
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