Churchill: Israel Not to Be Blamed for Halting Soviets in Mideast if U.s., Allies Don’t

Winston Churchill, grandson of the late Prime Minister Winston Churchill and newly elected Tory MP for Stretford, Manchester, asserted today that “If the United States and her allies are not prepared to halt Soviet penetration in the Middle East and her intervention in the war, they cannot blame Israel if she takes it upon herself to halt it.” He added that “One would prefer the U.S.A. and other Western powers to stand up and be counted,” because “such an act would defuse the situation in the Middle East.” Israel, he said, “could only do it militarily.” Mr. Churchill spoke at a luncheon of the Federation of Women Zionists of the Women’s International Zionist Organization, marking the 50th anniversary of that federation and the 25th anniversary of El Al. “Remember,” he said, “it was Allied soldiers who gave their blood to conquer North Africa. Now we find NATO outflanked by the Soviets, and the Soviets now have access to Europe through its soft underbelly. We are too busy bolting the front door while the Russians are coming through the back door–the Middle East. We cannot stand aside and witness the rise of a Soviet empire in the Middle East.” In another address, departing Israeli Ambassador Aharon Remez charged the Western powers with failing to react quickly enough to the changing nature of the Mideast power balance. “Israelis, however, cannot be pushed around any longer,” he said, “We are no longer second-class citizens and no one can tell us what our interests are and should be.” Chief Rabbi Lord Goodman said British Jewry is “committed to preserve Israel–not only for Jewry but for the entire civilized world.” Lord Sieff of Brimpton paid tribute to the late Lady Sieff, founder of the WIZO and the Federation.