A spokesman for Mobil Oil Co., one of the nation’s largest oil firms with major Middle East interests, conceded today the accuracy of reports that the company has yielded to the Arab boycott of Israeli-made products in its Mideast operations. The spokesman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the company had been forced to take that action because all tankers entering Libyan ports are searched and discovery of any products made or grown in Israel brings stiff fines to the owner of the ship or its seizure by Libyan authorities. Recently, according to reports from London, the Libyan government added to the banned list Jaffa orange Juice canned in Norway or Canada as well as four products with no Israeli connections–Brazilian beer and ginger ale, Trinadad orange juice and Swedish matches–The reason it was reported is that all have six-pointed symbols on their labels vaguely resembling the Star of David. The Mobil spokesman said the company had complied with the additional ban orders. The spokesman said that the Mobil policy of going along with the Arab boycott applied only to Mobil operations in the Middle East and he added that it was a case of complying with Libyan demands or going out of business in that phase of its operations.
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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.
