British Board Takes Steps to Combat Mounting Anti-jewish, Anti-israel Propaganda

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, responding to warnings that more effective action was needed to deal with mounting anti-Jewish and anti-Israel propaganda in Britain, has approved a proposal to appoint a “director of defense and public relations” to coordinate its efforts in the public relations field.

The board’s defense committee told the meeting that the board was “not sufficiently equipped” to deal with such matters and recommended appointment of a director who would “deal with any critical anti-Semitic campaign” and handle the “positive work” of defense and public relations.

Dr. S. Levenberg, chairman of the board’s Eretz Israel committee, told the deputies that the British Broadcasting Corp. had been approached on its news coverage of the Middle East. The board had complained to the BBC that its coverage consistently gave full reporting of exaggerated claims by the Arab countries. Dr. Levenberg said the BBC had replied that it was BBC policy to give equal publicity to official communiques from both sides.

He said that whereas Arab announcements were “morale-boosting exaggerations,” the Israeli communiques were — “given a reasonable margin for error” — accurate. He said he had just come from Israel “where I went into the matter and I can say to you: Trust the Israeli communiques.”

The meeting also was told about the merger of 19 pro-Arab groups into one “Palestine Solidarity Campaign” whose avowed aim was the destruction of Israel and support of the Palestinian organizations. Jewish members of the Labor, Conservative and Liberal Parties were asked to urge their parties to take stands in support of Israel in forthcoming party conferences. Dr. Levenberg asserted that the emergence of a “violently anti-Israel group” in the Liberal Party, which he said openly supports the El Fatah commando group, was especially disturbing.