The ousting of Lord Mancroft, Jewish financier, from the board of the Norwich Union Insurance Companies last week, came up for discussion today at a meeting of the British Cabinet at which the issue of Arab pressure on British firms dealing with Israel to accede to the Arab boycott against Israel was taken up in anticipation of questions which members of the Cabinet will have to answer in Parliament tomorrow.
At least eight members of the House of Commons have submitted questions in writing to the Government in connection with the ousting of Lord Mancroft from the British insurance firm under Arab pressure. One of the questions was addressed directly to the Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, by Sir Barnett Janner, a Laborite member of Parliament who is also president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
Sir Barnett asked the Prime Minister to tell the House what action is being taken by the Government to prevent Arabs from coercing company officers or employees of firms having connections with Israel. The question has been passed on to the Foreign Minister, who is scheduled to make his reply tomorrow.
Other members of Parliament–Laborites and Liberals–have asked the Government to explain its position on the Arab boycott against British firms trading with Israel or having Jews among their senior personnel. London insurance brokers have similarly called on the Government to make its position clear on the issue, and the Trades Advisory Council has scheduled a special meeting on the question at the request of individual members, some of whom said they will no longer handle Norwich Union business.
Most British newspapers this morning continued to play up the repercussions following Lord Mancroft’s resignation, with many of them publishing editorials calling for Government action. Declaring that the linking of the issues of “racialism and blackmail” was “most perturbing,” the Daily Mail urged that the “whole Government attitude to the boycott should be re-examined.”
BRITISH FIRM REPORTED LOSING BUSINESS FOR YIELDING TO ARABS
Meanwhile, there were mounting reports of actions being taken against Norwich Union by many business enterprises, Jewish as well as non-Jewish. A spokesman for Norwich Union denied reports that the firm is losing 2,000,000 pounds ($5,600,000) worth of business daily, due to the Mancroft resignation. He conceded, however, that “some large Jewish enterprises have warned that they would withdraw their patronage if there is no retreat by Norwich Union” on the Jewish financier’s resignation.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has demanded that the insurance firm reinstate Lord Mancroft in his position, While it seemed doubtful that the financier would accept reinstatement even if it were offered to him, it was said that the company could make amends by declaring publicly that it has now rejected the Arab boycott.
Amid growing prospects of widespread indignation here over the Arab “blackmail” attempts, Arab ambassadors here made a combined approach today to the Foreign Office over the Mancroft affair with a three-member deputation seeking to meet with Foreign Secretary R.A. Butler. Such a meeting was highly unlikely today, however, with Mr. Butler scheduled to leave for Germany, The Arab envoys are expected to present their case to some other senior Government official.
The Foreign Office was also approached today by officials of the Israeli Embassy who reported on action taken by Arab diplomats in London to influence firms to boycott companies with commercial interests in Israel.
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