Israels right of innocent passage through the Suez Canal and the Straits of Tiran must be guaranteed. The holy places of the Jewish faith must be freely available to all Jews. Israel. for her part. must be willing to accept and implement the essential provisions of the United Nations Security Council resolution of November 22. 1967. which calls for Israels withdrawal from the occupied territories and for a just settlement of the Palestinian refugee problem. For Israel to agree to these steps would not only pave the way to peace in the Middle East. but would also be a major step toward strengthening the cause of peace in the world. I recognize the vast difficulties underlying the simple statement above. For Israel to renounce the territory won in the 1967 war is to do something which few great powers have ever done. particularly when the occupied territories have such critical security implications. And the Palestinian refugee problem has festered for a generation with no move toward a solution. The two problems are bound closely together. The unsettled refugee problem produces the Palestinian guerrilla movementthe demand of the homeless Arab to be restored to his ancient land. supported by his Arab brothers throughout the region. Arab efforts to resolve this problem by military force have been fruitless. leading only to Israels occupation of additional territories and the creation of more refugees. The siren song of Israel security through military power and territorial expansion makes difficult the renunciation by Israel of the fruits of victory. This. in turn. fuels the fires of Arab nationalism and their commitment to a final solution by the same military means which have failed them before. It is this vicious cycle of force and counterforce. of suffering expiated by the creation of more suffering. that must be halted. Israel and the Arab nations must agree to a permanent resettlement of the Palestinian refugees. Some must be permitted to return to ancestral lands in Israel and accepted as full citizens of that country. The remainder must be fairly compensated for losses incurred by displacement from their homes and settled permanently in Arab communities. The costs of doing this. to both Israel and Arab countries. is immeasurably less than the present costs of the unsolved refugee problem. The difficult and delicate decisions as to how many and which of the refugees are resettled in what areas must be undertaken in good faith. Since the great powers. including the United States. pay the major part of the cost of maintaining the present refugee camps. it would be appropriate for them to make a major contribution to the cost of permanent resettlement of the refugees. Such a contribution would cost far less than the continuing support of the camps. in the long run. Unresolved claims by Jews displaced from their homes and businesses in Arab nations would be appropriately considered in the framework of an overall settlement of refugee claims. Admittedly. the permanent resettlement of the refugees would create major internal problems in both Israel and the directly involved Arab countries. But are these problems as great. by any stretch of the imagination. as those created by a Middle East perpetually on the brink of war? Israel must be prepared to accept Palestinan Arabs as brothers in a secular state. offering them the same opportunities and rights of citizenship as they would want for themselves in an Arab State. Arab States must accept the added burden of providing new economic opportunities for refugees when they hardly are able to maintain their present populations. Yet these obligations must be undertaken for the sake of the security of all who share the problems of that troubled region. If these steps can be taken to restore peace. and to strengthen the weakened rule of law in the world. it would immeasurably benefit the world community.
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refugee refugees