The Arab refusal to permit crude oil to reach the British-owned oil refineries at Haifa was discussed last night during a foreign policy debate in the House of Commons.
The question was raised by Anthony Eden, former Foreign Secretary and leader of the Conservatives, who said that the failure to keep the Haifa refineries in operation is costing the British economy some $50,000,000 a year.
In reply, Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin reviewed the history of the Arab boycott of the Haifa plants, stating that despite all sorts of diplomatic pressure from Britain, Iraq refuses to open the Kirkuk pipeline. The Egyptian Government, he added, takes the position that a state of war still exists between Israel and the Arab states and, therefore, will not permit oil shipments through the Suez Canal. However, the Foreign Secretary said, the British Government will continue to press the matter until a solution is achieved.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
