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British Seek to Avoid Israel Sanctions For Suez War

(February 11, 1957)

In a meeting of the British Cabinet on February 11, 1957:

The Foreign Secretary said that he had been considering, in consultation with the Prime Minister, how best to avoid a vote in the United Nations on the application of sanctions against Israel. It now seemed less likely that this situation would arise. For in official circles in Washington there was a growing recognition that the application of sanctions against Israel would be a dangerous precedent; and the Canadian Government were considering the possibility of framing a more constructive resolution.

The Prime Minister said that the realistic solution was for Israel to withdraw her troops from the Gaza Strip and from the Gulf of Aqaba simultaneously with the arrival of United Nations forces charged with responsibility for securing those areas from attack by either side. If we could make it plain that we favored a constructive solution on these lines, either by bringing forward a resolution of our own or by sponsoring a Canadian resolution, the Arab States would be more likely to accept without reprisal our refusal to support a resolution imposing sanctions against Israel. In that event, if a sanctions resolution were moved, it should be possible for us to abstain from voting on it.

In discussion there was general agreement with the views expressed by the Prime Minister.

The Cabinet –

Invited the Foreign Secretary to ascertain the views of the United Kingdom Representative at the United Nations on the question whether it would be tactically advantageous for us to sponsor a constructive resolution on the lines contemplated by the Canadian Government.


Source: British National Archives, CAB/128/31.