“The sooner the Arab states realize that their economic boycott of Israel is a blunt weapon, the better it will be for the people of the Middle East,” Aneurin Bevan, leftwing Labor MP, declared today in an article in the Daily Herald recounting his experiences and reporting his conclusions on his recent trip through the Middle East, including Israel.
Writing of the refugee problem–the refugees coming into Israel as well as the Arab refugees from Palestine–Mr. Bevan said there is no comparison in the manner in which they are greeted. “In Israel they are welcome and hectic efforts are made to assimilate them into the life of the country,” he pointed out. “In the Arab states,” he continued, “they are resented except by the merchants and shopkeepers who profit from the funds sent in by the United Nations and private agencies.”
Mr. Bevan underscored the fact that the refugee problem is a source of political unrest and an obstacle to the resumption of friendly relations between Israel and its neighbors. However, he reported that Israel is ready to make a contribution to solving the problem, but the Arabs refuse to meet with the Israelis. “It is difficult to escape the conclusion that the Arab states are more interested in the refugees as a source of propaganda than as a cause for pity and alleviation,” he concluded.
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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.
