The draft resolution on the Suez Canal case prepared by the American, British and French delegations for submission to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday will “call upon” Egypt to halt its practice of visit, search and seizure at the Canal, it was learned today.
The resolution includes two major points that had been pressed by the Israeli delegation whose complaint against the Egyptian blockade brought the case to the Security Council. Under the terms of the draft resolution, the Security Council does not accept that Egypt can maintain unilaterally a “state of war” with Israel and it rejects the Egyptian claim of self-defense.
The resolution also strongly reaffirms the validity of the Israeli-Egyptian armistice agreement as ending all hostile acts between Egypt and Israel. At the same time, in briefly reviewing the history of the case back to 1949, the resolution includes the statement of Gen. William E. Riley, U.N. truce supervisor, that the Suez blockade constitutes “an aggressive and hostile act” on the part of Egypt.
Another point made in the resolution indirectly is that the blockade against Israel affects the interests of other nations as well as Israel. It was understood tore that the draft resolution as presently worded was generally satisfactory to Israel. Arab informants, however, said that the resolution would be vigorously fought by Egypt and Iraq, a non-member of the Council which is participating in the debate at its own request but without a vote.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
