Reflecting the grave anxiety of the British Jewish community over developments in the Middle East, the Board of Deputies of British Jews reiterated today a plea to the British Government to “provide Israel with defensive arms to withstand threatened aggression from its Arab neighbors.” The call, incorporated into a resolution adopted unanimously at a meeting of the Board, insisted that “this step was essential to peace and stability in the Middle East.”
S. Teff, chairman of the Board’s Israel committee, charged that the “process of appeasement” of the Arabs by Britain was still going on. He rejected Prime Minister Eden’s suggestions that Israel depend on the Tripartite Declaration of 1950 instead of on arms, and said that Israel should be able to defend herself without depending on the efforts of other steps.
Board president Barnett Janner, reporting on a recent trip to Morocco, said that the extreme poverty of Morocco’s 180,000 Jews, except for five percent, was one explanation for the fact that 60,000 Moroccan Jews had registered to leave the country for Israel. The other major reason he said, was the disquiet of the Jews under the nationalist turmoil. Despite assurances by the government, he noted, it was the temper of the Moroccan masses that would decide whether the Jews would be allowed to live in peace. He urged all assistance to those who wished to quit the country.
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.
