The United States stands pat on its announced intention of taking action to prevent any violations of the Israel-Arab armistice lines, the State Department has informed Rep. Edna F. Kelly, of New York.
Thurston B. Morton, Assistant Secretary of State, in answer to a query by the Congresswoman, said of the present Israel-Arab boundaries that “the United States Government takes no position other than to recognize these as valid armistice lines until agreement is reached on permanent boundaries between the countries concerned.”
“Meanwhile,” he pointed out, “the United States continues to be guided in its policy on such matters by Point 3 of the Tripartite Declaration of May 25, 1950, issued by the United States, the United Kingdom and France.”
Mr. Morton quoted this declaration as reading in part: “The three governments, should they find that any of these states (Israel or Arab states involved) was preparing to violate frontiers or armistice lines, would, consistently with their obligations as members of the United Nations, immediately take action, both within and outside the United Nations to prevent such violation.”
Regarding the Israel position on the boundary dispute, Mr. Morton said he understood “that Foreign Minister Sharett indicated in the course of a speech in the Israel Parliament on June 17, 1953, that peace between Israel and its neighbors can be based only upon the existing situation as regards both territory and population.”
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.
