Britain is still pursuing a policy of “not holding any strong view” on the Palestine problem, but is leaving it to the parties concerned to agree on a settlement, it was stated here today in authoritative circles. If such an agreement includes the existence of an independent Jewish state Britain will not oppose it, the statement added.
A plea for Britain to postpone recognition of Israel was made today in a letter to the London Times by Chapman Walter, Conservative M.P., who recently returned from a tour of Israel and Transjordan. Walker argued that recognition prior to the arrangement of a settlement by U.N. mediator Count Folke Bernadotte would be “construed by 209,000,000 Muslins as a conciliatory gesture by Britain towards the side with the present military advantage.”
The Times today editorially warns the Israeli Government “not to strike too hard a bargain” in negotiating with the Arab states because of the likelihood of destroying chances for peaceful relations. The newspaper adds that the task of the Arab leaders is to persuade their followers that Israel is born and cannot be crushed by force and that a friendly understanding with her is indispensable to the interests of the Arabs. It also said that the Jews too must make sacrifices in order not to drive the Arabs back into war as a despairing last resort.
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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.
