British Labor Party Chief Pledges Even Course on Middle East

Michael Foot, newly elected leader of Britain’s opposition Labor Party, made a strong call for friendship between Britain and Israel here and especially between Socialists in both countries last night. Addressing a dinner of the Labor Friends of Israel, he offered his first comments on Middle East matters in many years.

It was intended to reassure Labor’s influential pro-Israel lobby that although he is a left singer on economic matters he does not share the anti-Israel bias of several other left-wingers. Nevertheless, he made clear that he would steer an even course between Israeli and Arab positions. He described the Palestine conflict as one between “two rights”, adding that such conflicts can be more dangerous than those between a right and a wrong.

Foot criticized the Venice Declaration of the European Economic Community (EEC). British support for that declaration, he said, showed that the Foreign Office was suffering from shortsightedness reminiscent of the last days of the British Mandate in Palestine which were “a very dark blot” on the record of the past-war Labor government. It was not clear, however, whether he was criticising the Venice Declaration because it stressed the need to involve the Palestine Liberation Organization in negotiations. Indeed, he added ambiguously that the Venice statement contained “other features” which, he implied, were not reprehensible.

Clues to Foot’s thoughts on the Middle East were contained in a speech by Peter Share, the shadow Foreign Secretary, with which Foot said he agreed completely. Share said that in their talks in Luxembourg this Monday and Tuesday, the EEC ministers should look at Middle East issues in a broad spectrum and not just concentrate on the Palestine issue. He contrasted the Persian Gulf war and the chaos in the Arab world with the peace between Israel and Egypt which he called “one of the great achievements of the last few years and a model of what can be achieved.”

But he also warned Israel not to take the Arab disarray as an excuse for stalling the search for a solution of the Palestinian problem. Israel had no right to rule the West Bank and Gaza Arab people who had a right to govern themselves, just as Israel had a right to security, he said.

Sir Harold Wilson; the third speaker, criticized the Conservative government’s Middle East policies, and said there had been a sharp deterioration in Anglo-Israeli relations since the Conservatives came to power 18 months ago. The former Prime Minister was confident that when Labor was returned to power, Anglo-Israeli relations would be restored to their previous harmony.