The Contemporary Middle East. A Documentary History

Suez Canal, which Egypt had closed to all traffic during the 1967 war. Egypt and
Israel both demurred, and the Nixon administration abandoned the plan. Despite the
failures of these (and most subsequent) peace efforts, Resolution 242 has remained the
bedrock of international policy toward the Arab-Israeli dispute. In 2002–2003, the
European Union, Russia, the United Nations, and the United States developed a more
detailed plan, the so-called “road map” for peace between the Israelis and the Pales-
tinians (Road Map, p. 298).

Following is the text of UN Security Council Resolution 242, adopted on Novem-

ber 22, 1967, calling on Israel to withdraw from Arab territories that it had occu-

pied in the June 1967 War and on Arab nations to live in peace with Israel.

DOCUMENT

UN Security Council

Resolution 242 (1967)

NOVEMBER22, 1967

The Security Council,
Expressingits continuing concern with the grave situation in the Middle East,
Emphasizingthe inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and the need to
work for a just and lasting peace in which every State in the area can live in security,
Emphasizing furtherthat all Member States in their acceptance of the Charter of the
United Nations have undertaken a commitment to act in accordance with Article 2
of the Charter,

1. Affirmsthat the fulfillment of Charter principles requires the establishment of
   a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of
   both the following principles:

(i) Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent

conflict;

(ii) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowl-

edgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of

every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and rec-

ognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force;

2. Affirms furtherthe necessity

(a) For guaranteeing freedom of navigation through international waterways in

the area;

(b) For achieving a just settlement of the refugee problem;

ARABS AND ISRAELIS 111