“Peace between Israel and the Arabs is possible only with the territorial and demographical status quo,” Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett declared in Parliament today at the conclusion of a two day foreign policy debate. After the debate would up, the deputies voted a budget of 2,500,000 pounds for the Foreign Ministry.
In an obvious reference to the recommendations made recently by Secretary of State John Foster Dallas, Mr. Sharett declared that Israel does not see any solution of the Arab refugee problem by returning a portion of them to the Jewish State. “One must not feed the refugees on false hopes and avert their attention from their situation from which there is no escape,” he added.
The Minister also stated that as long as there is no peace Israel will oppose the shipment of arms to the states which refuse to make peace with Israel. “We will oppose the arming of the Arabs since the arms are aimed at us and for no other purpose,” he declared.
In a reference to Jerusalem, on which the Secretary of State had also touched, Mr. Sharett insisted that there is no change in Jerusalem’s status as the capital of Israel. “The sacredness of Jerusalem is deeply rooted and we are ready to die for it. Jerusalem is dearer to us than anything in the world, “he stressed. At the same time, he stated that “there is no discrepancy between Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem and international requests concerning the Holy Places within the city.
“We are ready at any time for the internationalization of the Holy Places on condition that it should not undermine Israel’s sovereignty,” he emphasized. He said Jordan also promised to internationalize the Holy Places in its territory, and pointed out that Jordan has violated the armistice agreement provisions guaranteeing the Jews free access to the Wailing Wall and other Jewish Holy Places in the Old City.
He concluded his speech with a reiteration of Israel’s friendship for the United States. He also declared that “Israel will welcome a renewal of diplomatic relations with Russia.”
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.
