The State Department said, in a written response to queries, that President Carter’s press conference statement Monday that Arab-Israeli negotiations must cover “all aspects of the Palestinian question” means “the many ramifications” of that question including but “not limited to the refugee issue.”
The five-line statement given to reporters said: “The final exact meaning will have to be delineated through negotiations. This phrase indicates that a final settlement agreement must fully take into account the many ramifications of the Palestinian question which includes, but is not limited to, the refugee issue.”
United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 which the United States has consistently said underpins Arab-Israeli negotiations, mentions the Palestinian question only in terms of the refugee problem. Israel’s view, according to an Israeli Embassy source, is that the words “all aspects” apply to the matter of refugees alone.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
