Israel’s right to free passage through the Suez Canal were discussed here this week-end by British Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd and Israel Ambassador Eliahu Elath on the eve of Mr. Lloyd’s departure tomorrow for New York to participate in the UN Security Council’s discussions on Egypt’s seizure of the Suez Canal.
A resolution calling for a management of the Suez Canal that will “guarantee free passage for ships of all nations, including Israel” was submitted to the Liberal Party conference at Folkstone by its executive today. The resolution condemned President Nasser’s unilateral action in seizing control of the Suez Canal’s operations, expressed dissatisfaction with the British Government’s handling of the problem and pledged support for all practical measures conforming to the United Nations Charter and Britain’s international obligations which would assure free passage of the canal.
L. F. Behrens, president of the party, sharply attacked the British Government’s Suez policy and warned that Britain’s position had been “terribly weakened” by its failure and the failure of other great powers to act “when Israeli shipping was illegally forbidden passage through the canal.”
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.
