Britain’s three major parties, bidding for votes in the October 15 general election, all made statements today on issues of special concern to Jewish voters, particularly regarding the Middle East.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the Premier and leader of the Conservative party, has left this election assignment to his Home Secretary, Henry Brooke, who speaks in general terms and avoids specific issues. Brooke fells voters that the guiding principle of the British Government is to maintain the balance of arms in the area.
Labor party leader Harold Wilson has been much more specific, asserting that, if Labor wins, we will try to obtain agreement of the Great Powers to halt the arms race in the Middle East. Jo Grimond, Liberal Party leader and head of the party least likely to win, has told voters that he also favors a halt in the arms race. But he has added that, if the Arabs refuse to make peace with Israel and continue their arms race, Israel is entitled to maintain the balance by getting the new modern arms it needs.
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.
