The White House insisted today that the United States statement at the Security Council yesterday condemning settlements by Israel in occupied territories does not represent a change in the American policy. Presidential news secretary Ron Nessen said-that U.S. Ambassador William Scranton’s remarks regarding the settlements were “a restatement of policy” made by former U.S. Ambassadors to the UN Arthur Goldberg in 1968, Charles Yost in 1969 and George Bush in 1971.
Nessen said they were “among others” who have said the settlements are “not helpful to a peace settlement.” Asked why Scranton made his statement after apparently five years of silence by Administration leaders, Nessen said it was because Scranton is taking part in the Security Council debate.
Asked whether Scranton’s statements that the settlements are “illegal” have always been official American policy, Nessen said that he would have to check the record before answering that.. He said that Scranton’s “language was somewhat more restrained than those on other public occasions.”
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.
