Churchill Demands Recognition of Israel; British Govt. Says It is Not Prepared to Move

The British Government, in the person of Foreign Under Secretary Christopher Mayhew, today served notice that it is not prepared to recognize Israel, while wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill demanded that Britain recognize the Jewish state. Both statements were made in the course of the second day of a foreign policy debate in the House of Commons.

Describing the establishment of Israel as an “event in world history,” Churchill insisted that the Israeli Government cannot be ignored. Calling for an end to the Labor Government’s “sulky boycott” of the Jewish state, the Conservative leader asked that British representatives be sent to Tel Aviv immediately.

“A settlement of the Palestine question would certainly have been attempted in the closest possible association with the United States and in personal contact with the President by any government of which I happened to have been the head,” Churchill stated. Summing up the achievements of the Jews in establishing their state, he said: “The Jews have driven out the Arabs from a larger area than contemplated under the partition decision; they have established a government which functions efficiently; they have a victorious army at their disposal; and, they have the support of both the Soviets and the United States.”

FEDERATION OF ISRAEL AND ARAB STATES ENVISAGED BY CHURCHILL

He also claimed that once the war ends, it will be easy to establish an Arab federation consisting of several Arab states and one Jewish nation. Addressing himself to Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, Churchill reminded him that he had staked his reputation on solving the Palestine problem. Referring to the Transjordan issue raised by the British delegate at the United Nations, Churchill warned against aiding Transjordan in its present conflict.

“If Transjordan is attacked and we are brought in,” he pointed out, “it might bring us into dispute with the United States. After all the good work we have done in Palestine it would be tragic if the only result we carried away was a deep divergence between ourselves and the United States.”

Mayhew, in his statement, insisted that Britain has no intention of permanently ostracizing the Jewish state. Asserting that the British Government looks forward to friendly relations with Israel, he revealed that the British Consul General at Haifa 10 now returning to Palestine for consultations. “The question of establishing better contacts with the Jewish authorities, without prejudice to the question of recognition, is being closely studied by the government.”

“We cannot decide on the question of recognition before we consider the result of the deliberations of the current Assembly and have taken into account the observance or non-observance of the Security Council truce,” he declared, Mayhem then added that before recognition is granted the British must have assurance as to the frontiers of Israel, assurances about truce observances, and assurances about “any further claims of the Jewish authorities against the neighboring states.”