The safeguarding of Israel’s security must be a top priority goal of any future Labor Government of Britain, Edward Short, Parliamentary Deputy Chief Whip of the Socialist party declared at Scarborough last night. He spoke at a crowded meeting sponsored by the Labor Friends of Israel and the Labor Zionist Party, which was attended by Labor members of both the Commons and the House of Lords.
Mr. Short, who called Israel a “cradle of ethical and Socialist ideals, ” declared that Israel could not rely on the United Nations. He said Israel must have guarantees of its territorial integrity from the Great Powers, including Russia. He asserted that he was convinced that Labor Party leader Harold Wilson, should he become Prime Minister, would conduct a dynamic policy toward the goal of protecting Israel’s integrity and free development, For British Labor, he added, Israel’s future is “a question of honor and self-interest.”
Anthony Greenwood, new chairman of the Labor Party, who presided, told the meeting that there was “immense goodwill” within British Labor toward the Mapai party; the Histadrut, Israel’s Labor Federation; and toward Israel as a whole.
George Thompson, another member of Parliament, disclosed that Wilson had given him a special mission to study the possibilities of cooperation between a Labor-led Britain and Israel for providing constructive help to new African countries. He said he had visited West Africa, where he had been greatly impressed with Israel’s achievements. He expressed the belief that a Socialist Britain and a labor-led Israel could cooperate in many new fields.
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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.
