The Israel Embassy in Britain yesterday delivered a note to the Foreign Office asking the British Government to reconsider its policy of supplying jet planes and other arms to the Arab states unless these states demonstrate a readiness to negotiate peace with Israel, the Embassy announced here this morning. Copies of the note are being delivered to the United States and French Embassies in Israel, the announcement added. (See Washington story on Page 2.)
The Israeli note pointed out that the Arab states continue to carry out hostile and war-like acts against Israel, demonstrate little prospect of overcoming their internal weaknesses and have indicated no willingness to undertake regional defense responsibilities. It insisted that under such circumstances the supply of arms to the Arabs aggravates the threat to Israel security.
The note also emphasized that the supply of arms to the Arabs at this point cannot be reconciled with the tri-partite pledge of May, 1950. In that declaration the United States, Britain and France pledged to guarantee the status quo in the Middle East and to prevent aggression against any of the states in the region.
The Manchester Guardian this morning criticized the British Government for supplying jet planes to the countries of the Middle East at a time when the Arab states are directing “bellicose pronouncements” at both Britain and Israel. The newspaper adds that none of the Arab states “can really afford the luxury of rearmament” and suggests that instead they “should be persuaded to seek strength by cooperation and the settlement of their quarrel with the Jews.”
Harold Beeley, advisor on Palestine affairs to the late Ernest Bevin when the latter was Foreign Secretary from 1945-1949, has been appointed head of the British Information Services in Washington, the Jewish Observer reported here today. The publication points out that Mr. Beeley was the organizer and counsellor of the Arab opposition to the United Nations partition proposal of 1947.
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