The original publisher was Claud Morris, a newspaper magnate, who withdrew after a boycott by advertisers and an arson attack on his printing works.

[9] In the discussion over how to present the Arab point of view in Britain, Mayhew put forward a proposal for the creation of a periodical as well as suggesting a means of gathering financial support.

[9] As a first step Beeley used his connections in Geneva to set up an account for the newly created Arab Non-Arab Foundation (ANAF)[10] which was to become the financial backing for Middle East International.

[9][11] ANAF board members included Mayhew, Dennis Walters, Hubert Argod (French Ambassador to Senegal[12]) and Helen von Bothmer.

He was also the head of the Arab News Agency (ANA), which was run by the secret Information Research Department (IRD),[16][17] set up by Mayhew in 1947 when he was a junior Foreign Office Minister.

[25] The Jewish Chronicle internet archive lists around fifty editions between 1971 and 2005 in which reference is made to Middle East International, describing it as the “authoritative voice of the pro-Arab lobby”.

Sheikh Zahed had already given £40,000 to Margaret McKay MP, founder of the Anglo Jordanian Alliance in Parliament, to launch a ‘pro-Arab’ PR campaign.

Dennis Walters, chairman of Middle East International, published an appeal for £200,000 to enable publication to continue for a further year during which time it was hoped a long-term solution could be found.

In his statement announcing the closure of Middle East International Dennis Walters wrote that one of the reasons for falling circulation was that the internet was providing free news and comment, a problem facing all periodicals.