British Labor Party Calls for a Bilateral British-israel Pact

A request that the British Government should enter into a bilateral security pact with Israel similar to the agreements between Britain and some of the Arab governments is voiced by the British Labor Party in the current issue of its official organ, “Fact.” The request comes on the eve of the Parliamentary elections this Thursday.

“A bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and Israel comparable to those into which the United Kingdom has entered with some of the Arab states would bring greater stability to the Middle East and provide an inducement for a settlement between Israel and the Arab states,” the Labor Party organ states. “The government points to the existence of the Tripartite Declaration of 1950 with its guarantees against the use of force or threat of force in the area and its opposition to the development of an arms race. Undoubtedly that Declaration is valuable, but it applies equally to the Arab states and Israel. In addition, there are bilateral agreements between Britain and Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. It may be questioned whether under these arrangements the balance of military strength is not being tilted against Israel.”

“So long as the Arab states are reluctant to accept the existence of the State of Israel as a fact, anxiety will persist in Israel and will be exploited by Israel ‘activists,’ “the article points out. “So long as there is no settlement, there is danger of recurrent border incidents. An Anglo-Israel agreement would not only be conducive to an Israel-Arab settlement, but would provide a real addition of strength in the Middle East. It would enable Britain to exercise her full influence both with the Arab states and Israel to bring a bout agreement on the vexed problems of refugees frontiers and water supplies on bases on which there could develop fruitful and lasting cooperation, from which all the countries in the area would benefit.”