British Foreign Secretary Selvoyn Lloyd’s reiteration of the Eden Guildhall plan–which asks for the revision of Israel’s borders–as a means of settling the Israel-Arab conflict caused more dismay than surprise in Israeli circles here. Mr. Lloyd’s statement in Commons replied to a demand by Labor Party leader Hugh Gaitskell for a Big Power guarantee of Israel’s borders.
These Israeli circles, which were always aware that the Guildhall plan was London’s official thinking on the problem, had felt that it would be allowed to remain dormant. Its resurrection was viewed as a continuation of the old British policy of Arab appeasement, which has proved to be one continuous failure for the last 15 years. As one Israeli source put it, Mr. Lloyd’s statement made it clear that British policy is not set according to the true interests of a Middle East settlement but only with a view to finding favor in Arab eyes.
While refraining from official comment, Israeli circles here feel that Mr. Lloyd’s approach only postpones the possibilities of a Middle East settlement because it encourages Arab extremism and increases Middle East tensions. Israel remains firmly opposed to any attempt to court the Arabs at Israel’s expense, these sources emphasized.
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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.
