Britain today told the General Assembly’s Special Political Committee, which has been debating the Arab refugee issue for almost four full weeks, that it is opposed to the giving of any U. N. aid for the support of “political or militant activities.”
Without mentioning the Palestine Liberation Organization, an army formed by the Arab states for recruitment of Arab refugees into a military force for war against Israel, C. Peter Hope, Britain’s representative in the committee, said that his Government has for years been giving funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees–but only “for humanitarian relief.” The resources of UNRWA, he insisted, “should be used to assist genuine refugees, genuinely in need.”
Thus, the British delegate supported two of Israel’s contentions in this year’s refugee debate–opposing giving of UNRWA aid to those refugess who enlist in the PLO, and telling the committee that UNRWA should rectify its relief rolls so as to deny further relief to the many thousands of fraudulent claimants for U.N. aid.
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