A sharp protest against propaganda disseminated in Australia by the Egyptian Embassy here, supporting the Arab boycott against Israel and threatening the blacklisting of Australian firms failing to back such a boycott, was voiced here in the Senate today by Senator Sam Cohen.
Sen. Cohen called the Government’s attention to the latest issue of a commercial and economic bulletin published by the Egyptian Embassy, in which support for the anti-Israel boycott was emphasized. He cited a policy statement issued two months ago by the Minister of Trade, reiterating the Government’s policy as one which seeks freedom for two-way trade between Australia and all other countries.
He called upon the Government to make representations to Egypt on this issue “and to try to do something positive about removal of this boycott, which is directed against a substantial number of Australian business firms.”
On behalf of the Government, Senator Gorton, as Acting Minister for External Affairs, replied that he would look into the matter. Asserting he did not think that an Egyptian boycott against Australian firms could be effective, he said he would confer with the Trade Ministry “to see whether something can be done to stop this repugnant action.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.