Under the provisions of the United Nations Charter adopted at San Francisco, action can be taken against any state which persecutes its Jewish nationals, Prime Minister Attlee today told the House of Commons.
Asked whether he considered that the charter empowered the United Nations to intervene when some state embarked, for example, on persecution of Jews under the pretext that it was an internal matter, the Prime Minister replied affirmatively.
Earlier, Attlee refused to give the Commons any details on his consultations at Potsdam with President Truman regarding the Palestine problem. He also declined to answer a question as to whether he would consider the establishment of a small impartial Angle-American commission to examine on the spot the Palestine question and present a joint report to the respective governments.
“I am at present not in a position to make any statement on this matter,” he said. The question was put to Attlee by Capt. Marples, one of the now members of the House. At the same time, the Prime Minister promised to make a statement on the Palestine issue “as soon as we have time to consider the matter.” This promise was made after a question by Lord Winterton, who is known for his pro-Arab sentiments.
The question asked by Lord Winterton was as follows: “In view of the perturbation caused in Arab countries by statements of some government members and by un- founded rumors that His Majesty’s Government is friendlier to Jews than to Arabs because of its present composition, will the Prime Minister care to make a statement soon, particularly since a serious situation is developing.”
In answering that a government statement will be forthcoming as soon as the cabinet can find time to consider the Palestine issue, Prime Minister Attlee emphassized that in the meantime he hopes that the unfounded rumors will be contradicted.
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.
