The British Government will support the efforts of Gen. E.L.M. Burns, United Nations truce supervisor in Palestine, to reduce tension along the Israel-Egyptian demarcation line in the Gaza area, Foreign Secretary Sir Anthony Eden told Parliament today. He expressed the view that both sides were responsible for the present tension and added that the problem could be solved “provided both sides are prepared to handle it reasonably.”
The Foreign Secretary made his remarks in the course of questioning by MP’s. Conservative MP James Hutchison called his attention to Israel’s offer to Egypt, made in the Security Council last week, to refrain from all actions against Egypt if Egypt would guarantee to do the same in relation to Israel. Mr. Hutchison also asked whether Sir Anthony would endeavor to persuade Egypt to give a similar undertaking.
Sir Anthony said that while the matter was under consideration in the Security Council he would prefer not to comment further, except to say that under their armistice agreement both Israel and Egypt are already “bound to refrain from hostile acts against each other.”
At this point Barnett Janner, Labor, drew the Foreign Secretary’s attention to Egypt’s statement that it is at war with Israel and to the fact that Egypt is inciting its people on the border to commit acts of violence. He also pointed to the attack on an Israel wedding party at Patish last week and added his voice to the requests for action by Sir Anthony to get the Egyptians to live up to the armistice agreement.
In reply, Sir Anthony asserted that Mr. Janner had presented the “wrongs on one side,” adding that there were wrongs on the other side too. He said that the British Government was doing what it could in this situation.
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.
