Commons Debate Shows Britain Does Not Want to Strengthen Israel

The debate in Commons yesterday on the Middle East served only to underscore the British Government’s determination not to attempt to balance Soviet arms shipments to Egypt with arms for Israel, and not to extend a security pact to the Jewish State, it was stated here today.

Summing up for the government, Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden refused to withdraw anything he had said November 9 when he proposed “compromise” and sacrifices to Israel and the Arab states as a prerequisite for peace negotiations. He further refused to clarify what he had meant by these general terms, insisting that they were matters to be settled by the negotiators. This continued reluctance to spell out his proposals strengthened the feeling here that he was urging Israel to make major sacrifices.

The intense interest which normally accompanies a debate on this level was absent yesterday. Laborites continued to press the government for support of Israel, in many instances with the support of Conservative Members. However, it is obvious that the government’s position is rigid and that Prime Minister Eden will not move.

The Prime Minister insisted that an Israel-Arab “settlement is essential to the interest of both parties, and the need for a settlement is more urgent than ever in the interests of both parties.” He insisted that his November 9 speech, in London’s Guildhall, was an attempt to bring both sides to the realization that “conditions could not go indefinitely as they were at this very hour without the danger of war increasing.”

The minds of the Arabs and the Israelis must be turned toward peace, he continued, and the purpose of his speech was to underline the possibility of peace and the face that the United States and Britain were prepared to help in the realization of a peace settlement.

EDEN SAYS BRITAIN DOES NOT PRESSURE ISRAEL FOR CONCESSIONS

Both sides had to move from their fixed positions, and these rigid positions were not only territorial, he stressed. He said he had not and would not attempt to describe specific concessions because this was the province of the negotiating parties and because any such detailed presentation would kill all chances of getting the talks off the ground. He added that there was “no pressure from us on any country to do a particular thing or to make a particular concession.”

Referring to the Tripartite Declaration of 1950, he said that Britain stood by it in its entirety. “By it we stand to assist Israel if she were attacked or to take action to assist an Arab country if attacked by Israel.” On the arms question he said that weapons were pouring into the Middle East states from all parts of the world, adding: ‘Perhaps it is not wise, but I think I should say this -Israel is not, in my belief, at a disadvantage today in relation to any Arab state, or indeed to any combination of Arab stated who are on her frontier. I think that is about the true estimate of the situation.”

Summing up for the Labor Party, A Robens demanded that the Tripartite Declaration be backed by the government either by a “clear statement” by Prime Minister Eden or by a treaty with Israel “There can be nothing wrong with a treaty which says that if aggression takes place we will lend our aid. There must be given to Israel a sense of security and the Prime Minister has an opportunity of doing that tonight,” he said. Referring to an earlier statement by Foreign Secretary Harold Macmillan that some leading Arab figures had come to the realization that they would have to live with Israel, Mr. Robens demanded that if there had been such a change of attitude by Arab leaders they should say so publicly.

A number of other Labor MP’s hit the government pressuring of Israel, for pussyfooting with Egypt over such matters as the Suez blockade and for raising Arab hopes of territorial expansion at Israel’s expense thus increasing the possibilities of war. Clement Davies, head of the Liberal Party, took Israel’s side, nothing that Israel had made a number of heavy concessions in the interests of peace with the Arabs. Several Conservatives hit the Arab leaders particularly the Egyptian regime, and otherwise supported Israel.