The British Government stated officially in the House of Commons today that the monies it contributes annually for the relief of Arab refugees “are not intended to support political or military activities” by the refugees, “whether directly or indirectly.”
The statement was made in Parliament by Mrs. Irene White, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, in answer to a question by Leo Abse, a member of the Labor Party, who requested clarification of the Government’s stand regarding contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. He requested specifically that the Government report on how much of its UNRWA contributions went to Arab refugees “being trained in the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is pledge to the annihilation of Israel.”
In her reply, Mrs. White dissociated the British Government from backing any military participation by the Arab refugees. However, she said, there was no way to know how much of Britain’s UNRWA help went to such people. She also said that British money is “intended only to provide for relief of refugees.”
She added that Britain has repeatedly expressed its concern for UNRWA’s failure to rectify its relief rolls. Such continued failure, she warned, “can only lesse confidence in the agency’s ability to carry out its task effectively.” She reported that, the calendar year 1965, Britain had contributed nearly $5,800,000 to UNRWA.
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.
