Foreign Minister Eban, echoed by representative bodies of British Jewry, deplored Britain’s vote in the Security Council Monday in favor of the resolution on East Jerusalem. Mr. Eban spoke before departing for New York.
The vote cast by Lord Caradon has engendered bitter reaction in Israel and among Jews here and was the subject of official protests lodged by Israel in Jerusalem and London. The resolution was the outcome of a Security Council session called by 25 Moslem states ostensibly to deal with the El Aksa mosque fire of Aug. 21. Mr. Eban said it was “most deplorable for the Security Council to have given any indulgence whatever to the Arab attempt to use it for exploiting the El Aksa fire, which was a loss to all civilization, and for the purpose of religious incitement.”
The Israeli Foreign Minister said, “It is quite beyond my understanding why the United Kingdom should have added its vote to others when the resolution was considered unacceptable by the United States, by Latin America and by Finland representing Europe…, The great crime that has been committed is not only the burning of the mosque but the flames of hatred and of prejudice which Governments have spread across the world, and the Security Council should not have given any indulgence to that. It is very disappointing to have countries that are renowned for their traditional liberalism and tolerance giving any such support.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews sharply criticized the British vote which it called “partisan” and urged all people of goodwill to join in its condemnation. The British Zionist Federation said it regretted that Britain saw fit to vote for a resolution that “surrendered” to extremist pressure from the Arabs. The British Mizrachi Federation protested in a telegram to Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
Israel’s Minister of Interior, Moshe Shapiro, said that Britain should be “ashamed” of lending its hand to a “shameful” resolution. He insisted that no decision or resolution of the UN will ever wrest Jerusalem from Israeli hands.)
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