Israeli letter & draft preamble on future relations and territorial settlement with neighbors – UNCCP Letter from Israel

UNITED NATIONS CONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR PALESTINE

Letter and Draft from Dr. Walter Eytan, Head of the Israeli Delegation, to the Chairman of the Conciliation Commission

Dear Mr. Ethridge,

I am sending you herewith a rough draft which may serve as a basis for discussion on the principles governing future relations and a territorial settlement between Israel and each of her neighbours.

The Israeli Delegation does not consider itself bound to accept this draft in its present form, and is putting it forward simply as a preliminary suggestion which it is hoped will help the negotiations to move forward.

I shall be glad to discuss this draft more fully with the Commission at any time you may desire.

Yours sincerely,

Walter Eytan

Head of Israeli Delegation

Chairman,

Palestine Conciliation Commission,

Lausanne.

ISRAELI DELEGATION

LAUSANNE

4th May 1949

DRAFT PREAMBLE

WHEREAS the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine has entered upon its functions in accordance with the Resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations at its 186th Plenary Session on 11 December 1948; and

WHEREAS the United Nations Conciliation Commission has invited the interested parties on the basis of Paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of the aforesaid resolution to enter into negotiations with the Commission or directly on all outstanding questions; and

WHEREAS the United Nations Conciliation commission has invited the interested parties to send authorized representatives to Lausanne in order to cooperate with the Commission in the final settlement of all questions outstanding between them; and

WHEREAS the interested parties have responded to the Conciliation Commission’s invitation and have sent their authorized representatives to Lausanne for the abovesaid purposes;

NOW the undersigned representatives, in the full authority entrusted to them by their respective Governments, have agreed upon the following provisions:

ARTICLE I

With a view to putting an end to the political and military conflict between…and Israel;

With a view to promoting the return of permanent peace and stability to the area of conflict and to the Middle East as a whole; and

With a view to enabling the Parties to conform to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State and requires the resolution of international disputes by peaceful means;

The following principles, which shall be fully observed by the Parties, to this Agreement, are hereby affirmed:

1. The Parties undertake to continue to observe scrupulously the Armistice Agreement concluded between them on (date) at (place) in the presence of (the Acting Mediator or his representative).

2. The right of each State to its security, freedom and sovereignty shall be fully respected.

3. The present Agreement is considered pre-requisite to the establishment of diplomatic relations as well as of economic cooperation between the Parties in accordance with the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and the recognition of the importance of peace and stability in the Middle East.

ARTICLE II

In pursuance of the foregoing principles, and motivated by the determination to arrive at a final settlement of all questions outstanding between Israel and…the Parties agree as follows:

Boundaries:

1. The boundaries of Israel and…shall be determined as follows….

2. The Parties undertake fully to respect these frontiers, which constitute the permanent settlement of the outstanding territorial problems between Israel and….

3. The abovesaid boundary settlement, whilst constituting an agreement of a permanent character, will not be interpreted as ruling out the opening, at a later date, of negotiations between Israel and…with a view to arriving, by means of peaceful negotiations, at further boundary decisions, based on the needs and interests of the Parties.

4. With a view to ensuring full respect of the above boundary settlement permanent contact shall be established and maintained between the frontier control authorities of Israel and…so as to prevent frontier incidents, contraband and irregular passage of the frontiers.

5. In case of a frontier dispute arising between Israel and…the Parties undertake to make every effort to resolve the dispute by peaceful methods of direct negotiations. If these efforts fail and no agreed solution is reached, the Parties undertake to submit the dispute to arbitration.