Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill today declared in the House of Commons that it was the "duty" of Britain to see to it that Israel received "fair play" in the Middle East, and pledged that "nothing we shall do in the supplying of aircraft to this part of the world will be allowed to place Israel at an inferior disadvantage."
Speaking during an important foreign policy debate in the House, Sir Winston, who identified himself as a faithful supporter of the Zionist movement since the Balfour Declaration in 1917, said that "it was very unfortunate that no peace" had been made between Israel and the Arab states. He expressed the hope that the problem of the Palestine Arab refugees will "receive continuous consideration" and that the "peculiarly untimely bickering" between Israel and Jordan will be "brought to an end with mutual advantage to both sides."
In conclusion the Premier, who reviewed both the history of the Arab attack on Israel and the Israeli economic development, declared: "I hope and trust that the Arab states will come to a peace with Israel and I earnestly pray that the great Zionist conception of a home for this historic people where they live on the land of their ancestors may eventually receive its full fruition."
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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.
