British Collusion With Israel Denied

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28158, 22 December 1956, Page 11

British Collusion With Israel Denied

LONDON, December 20. The Prime Minister (Sir Anthony Eden) tonight denied that the British Government had any foreknowledge of Israel’s attack on Egypt. He also denied that there was any collusion by Britain and Fran . ce i X t r h Israel before the Anglo-French intervention in Egypt. Answering Opposition accusations on these points in the House of Commons, he said- “To say that the Government was engaged in some dishonourable conspiracy is completely untrue and I must emphatically deny it. Later h° said he wanted to tell tne House quite bluntly that there was no I fore-knowledge that Israel would attack Egvpt. There was a risk of it, he said The Government knew that perfectly well, and certain discussion and conversations took place. That, he thought, was absolutely right.” ~, . ~ . Sir Anthony Eden said that if he had tn take the same decisions again j he would be compelled to repeat them

Other points he made were:— There were no plans made with France to attack Egypt. There were military plans of a certain kind, but he would not say what

they were. There was no joint Anglo-French decision in advance of hostilities about the use of the veto in the United Nations Security Council. Nor was there any joint decision on the use of the French Air Force in advance of hostilities. Opposition Questions Asked by the deputy-leader of the Opposition (Mr James Griffiths) for a full statement of what was discussed in Paris on October 16. the Prime Minister said: “We did examine, and I am not in the least ashamed of it, every conceivable hypothesis that might arise in the very dangerous Middle Eastern situation. I do not believe any government would have done otherwise.” The Opposition Leader (Mr Hugh Gaitskell) had earlier referred to a statement yesterday by the French Foreign Minister (Mr Christian Pineau) that France and Britain had for long realised Israel’s predicament and had therefore decided together on the action to take if Israel started a preventive war. He also asked whether decisions which Mr Pineau said were taken well in advance were reached at the private Anglo-French meetings on October 16 and 23.

Sir Anthony Eden replied: “It is perfectly true there were a number of discussions of every kind of hypothetical events attacks —in the Middle East, but I repeat no agreement ’was arrived at till I informed the House about it.”

Mr Emanuel Shinwell, a Labour M.P.. and former Minister of Defence, tonight supported the Anglo-French intervention in Egypt. When he reached Prestwick airport, Scotland, after a 35.000-mile world tour, he said that by intervening in the Middle East conflict at the crucial moment, the British and French Governments, had prevented a possible spreading of the war between Israel and Egypt.