The establishment of a central office to coordinate a counter-campaign against the Arab boycott is now being discussed in government circles here. The Israel government has been spurred into its first serious consideration of anti-boycott measures by the projected withdrawal of Shell Oil, which has broken a long period of official apathy toward the Arab blockade.
A coordinating and advisory committee has already been formed and will hold its first meeting shortly. Representing various government agencies and all major business groups, this committee will collect information on the boycott both directly and from all public and private groups concerned. The committee will also plan recommendations for anti-boycott measures.
Material already available showed that Britain had the worst record in bowing to Arab pressure while Switzerland and Germany had the best records. It is known that even Labor Party cooperatives in Britain assist the Arab campaign whereas Switzerland has laws that effectively combat discriminatory trade practices.
Political circles here propose to make the withdrawal of Shell Oil the first major issue of the newly organized anti-boycott campaign. These circles feel that this is a strong case which promises valuable moral and political results even if counter-boycott moves prove only partially successful.
However, it was reported that economic circles, including some government ministries, were not enthusiastic about the anti-boycott plans because of veiled hints from Shell Oil that if Israel gave up its fight against the company, Shell would consider ways of providing Israel with new, more convenient sources of crude oil.
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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.
