The British Government reserves its fullest right to future action in relation to Israel, a Foreign Office spokesman today stated, adding that meanwhile Britain Is exercising the greatest restraint in avoiding any action which might jeopardize hopes for successful negotiations at Rhodes.
The reports of acting mediator Ralph J. Bunche “do not leave room for doubts that the present crisis is the outcome of Jewish aggression,” the spokesman declared. He stated that the Jews made incursions into Egyptian territory and still occupy Lebanese soil.
One of the great dangers in the situation is the fact that the Security Council has been losing control of events, the spokesman insisted, adding that it is of paramount importance that this authority be reestablished without delay and maintained until a final settlement is reached. He also stated that the British Government feels that both sides should accept the Security Council’s decision and from that point on negotiate for a permanent peace through the U.N. Conciliation Commission.
The Air Ministry today issued a communique taking issue with Israeli charges that the five RAF planes shot down last week were on photo reconnaissance missions over Israeli positions and Israeli territory. The communique said the British pilots had been ordered not to cross the border into Israel and that an inquiry since the incident establishes that they obeyed their orders. It also said that during the melee one or more British planes may have been forced over the border.
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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.
