asked the Minister for External Affairs if the Government recognise the sovereignty of Israel over the territory acquired by that State in 1967; and, if not, why.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Territory Acquired by Israel.
3.
The answer to the first part of the Deputy's question is in the negative.
As to the second part, the Government consider that no country has the right to annex the territory of its neighbours. As I said at the Fifth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on 27th June, 1967, which was convened to consider the situation in the Middle-East:
If the Security Council did not insist on the restoration of the boundaries as of 4th June, the very basis of the Charter would be destroyed.... Anything less than a complete withdrawal would be intolerable on the part of a signatory of the United Nations Charter.
I made it clear on that occasion that we believe that one of the elements of any stable and lasting peace in the Middle-East must be the withdrawal of Israel from the territories occupied by it during the hostilities, and this was affirmed by the United Nations Security Council in its resolution of 22nd November, 1967. The Council also affirmed the necessity for guaranteeing the territorial inviolability and political independence of every State in the area.
Do the Government accept that the 1960 war was triggered off by the military menace of Israel's Arab neighbours and that since then Israel has continued its efforts to bring her Arab neighbours to the conference table and, notwithstanding those efforts to have a conference in the area to get agreement on the question of Israeli security, the people who menaced her then continue to menace her now and even menace her in a more threatening fashion today? Having regard to this, would the Government use their good offices to see that there is an early meeting in the Middle-East between the parties, with particular regard to the need to give Israel security and, if necessary, such territory as may be necessary to maintain that security in the future?
I think I have explained the Government's policy about which the Deputy put down a question and, as the Deputy is aware, the United Nations representative is at present busily engaged in trying to bring the parties together to negotiate a lasting and peaceful settlement.
Question No. 4.
Have the Government offered their services in relation to the negotiations? May I take it that the answer is "No"?
I have called Question No. 4.
This is one of the procedures that should be reviewed.