Israel Under No Obligation to Treat Seriously Resolution on Palestinians

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said today that Israel “has no obligation to treat seriously” a resolution on the Palestinians passed by the United Nations General Assembly last night by a 47-22 vote with 50 nations abstaining. The resolution, previously approved by the Special Political Committee, recognizes that “The people of Palestine” deserve “equal rights and self determination” and “full respect for (their) inalienable rights” as “an indispensable element” of peace in the Middle East. Somalia, one of the eight nations sponsoring the resolution, requested in advance of the vote that it be declared “unimportant” so as not to require a two-thirds majority for passage. The Foreign Ministry spokesman said Israel could not take seriously a resolution which the General Assembly itself defined as unimportant. He noted that many of the 50 nations which abstained based their abstention on the “unimportance” of the vote. (Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Yosef Tekoah, made a similar observation after the vote last night. He said that while the resolution will be recorded as having been adopted, “its sponsors established that it is not an important question” and “Israel will treat it accordingly as of no import.”) The Foreign Ministry spokesman said the only effect of the resolution would be “to bolster illusions in the Arab world.”

There was no official comment here on a resolution calling on Israel to repatriate the Arab refugees of the June, 1967 war, which the General Assembly passed by a 93-5 vote with 17 abstentions. The United States, Britain and France joined the majority. It was opposed by Israel and four Central American nations. The U.S. voted with Israel against the resolution on the Palestinians. Ambassador Richard H. Gimer, speaking for the American delegation said that resolution “would distort the Charter principle of self-determination by applying it not to a non-self-governing territory but to one or more sovereign members of this organization.” Mr. Gimer warned further that the resolution would “distort” the Security Council’s Resolution 242 of Nov. 22, 1967 which is the basis for the Jarring peace talks. The Palestinian resolution was supported by the Arab bloc, the Soviet Union, Ceylon, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Rumania, Hungary, Greece, India, Pakistan and Spain. Italy, the Netherlands and Canada were among the nations casting opposing votes and Britain, France and Japan were among the many abstainers. Jordan’s Ambassador, Mohammed H. el-Farra called the resolution factual and realistic. Israel was the only abstainer on an American-sponsored resolution noting the “critical” financial situation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). It passed by 111-2-1. Israel supported another resolution for continued “humanitarian assistance” to the 1967 refugees which passed by a vote of 114-1-2. The resolution contained a “strong appeal” for more UNRWA funds.