YouSaid · the spoken record

MEIR

lines on the record: 330
first: 1956-09-24
most recent: 1965-09-24
sittings or episodes: 9
sources: un-general-debate

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“It is admittedly a formidable list of tasks, but it is by these expectations that the world will judge our joint success or failure. Let us renew our faith that if we want these objectives and are willing to work together for them, they will be attained.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Yet, during the critical months of the nineteenth session, there were indications that all the Members of the Organization shared a desire to preserve it, and to see it play an effective part in world affairs. Whether the United Nations can attain such a role depends upon its responses to the challenges which now confront it. Our organization will grow in strength, and nor merely in size, to the extent that it can halt fighting, firmly reject doctrines of war, set in reverse the present arms race, conventional as well as nuclear, promote the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, help to liberate the remaining colonial territories stimulate development and welfare among the new nations, and safeguard human rights. 103.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“It remains a matter of sorrow and concern to us that a certain large Jewish community suffers serious disabilities and discrimination, which are causing distress not only to their fellow Jews, but also to decent and liberal opinion in other lands. A few concessions have recently been made, and we can only hope that they are signs of a more liberal policy. It is hard to understand what that great country concerned could stand to gain by stifling an ancient faith, culture and language, belonging to a minority group. 102. Twenty years after its birth, the United Nation appears troubled and divided, because it reflects a troubled and divided world. There is still a steep and tortuous road to that world order, based on the rule of law between nations, to which the United States representative referred the other day [1346th meeting].”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“It is now twenty years since Nazi Germany was defeated, and the foul Third Reich collapsed in blood and flames. What could be more fitting than for this Assembly to mark the occasion by adopting the Draft Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination? 101. The work of the drafts concerning religious intolerance has been rather slower, but a positive approach is apparent in what has already been done on this topic by the Commission on Human Rights. In particular, it has become recognized that this is not only a matter concerning individuals. Religious communities and ethnic minorities are collectively entitled to all the freedoms and facilities needed to practise their faith, preserve their spiritual and cultural heritage, organize their communal institutions, and maintain contact with their brethren elsewhere.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“I would note the following sentence from last year's report of the Commission on Human Rights: "... anti-Semitism, in all its manifestations, past and present, was a repugnant form of racial discrimination; it was a dangerous social and political phenomenon, and it was a serious obstacle to the establishment of friendly relations and co-operation among peoples." 99. At the eighteenth session, the Israel delegation strongly supported the inclusion, on the initiative of the United States, of an article expressly condemning anti-semitism. We deem it essential that this paragraph should be maintained intact, together with the condemnation of racism and nazism, in the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. 100.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Six million of them were wiped out in the gas chambers or moulder in mass graves, and to this day Israel is full of survivors with concentration camp numbers tattooed on their skins. With these memories haunting us, it is small wonder that we should abhor all discrimination on the ground of ethnic origin, faith, or the colour of a person's skin. We reject policies of racial or religious discrimination, colonialism and apartheid wherever they exist. 98. My delegation welcomes the progress which has been made in drafting declarations and conventions on the related topics of racial prejudice and religious intolerance. It is worth recalling that the evolution of these important texts started as a result of widespread anti-semitic acts some years ago — the so-called "swastika epidemic".”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“But no instrument has yet been devised for implementing them, and reconciling the protection of persons or groups within a State, with the sovereignty of the State. The delegation of Costa Rica has now taken an important initiative in proposing the appointment of a (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as a means of overcoming this difficulty [see A/5963]. My delegation will give to this suggestion the careful and sympathetic study it warrants. 97. The Jewish people can claim a bitter status in this field. Many centuries of religious and racial persecution in many lands culminated in the indescribable horror of the Nazi régime and its attempted "final solution of the Jewish question" — an organized project to murder all Jews.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Many vital topics concerning women's role in developing countries were discussed. As a result of these deliberations, it is now decided to dedicate this year's activities to combating illiteracy among wives and mothers. This is to our mind the most effective way of influencing the home and the children. 96. The United Nations, like the League of Nations before it, is an association of sovereign States. However, the Charter combines respect for national sovereignty with an emphasis on the dignity and worth of the human being, and it rejects discrimination in all its forms. This concern for man as an individual was spelt out in detail in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights seventeen years ago, Pin a series of declarations and conventions which followed it. Nobody would deny the moral and educational force of such documents.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“At the recent UNESCO conference on this subject, held in Teheran, my colleague, the Israel Minister of Education and Culture, Mr. Zalman Aranne, pointed out that: "The problem of illiteracy has two aspects. One is that of teaching men and women the simple skill of reading and writing. But beyond it looms the ideal of human dignify, of freedom through knowledge. Leave a human being without the ingredients for a creative and productive life, without the power of intelligent decision, and you deprive him of the opportunity of serving modern society and of living his life with a sense of purpose." 95. I might here refer to a remarkable conference held in Jerusalem last year, attended by women from forty-nine countries, mainly developing lands, but outstanding women leaders of European countries as well.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“UNICEF has evolved for itself a broad philosophy, by which the young child is regarded not merely as an object of sentimental concern, but as the chief asset a country possesses and the key to its national future. For this reason, there is a new interest in helping children adapt themselves to the bewildering changes that are now breaking up the traditional patterns of family life. To quote from the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, "...mankind owes to the child the best it has to give" [resolution 1386 (XIV)]. And in helping the child, each nation is helping itself. It gives me personal satisfaction that a countrywoman of mine presides over the Executive Board of an international agency engaged in such vital and moving tasks. 94. A kindred field of endeavour is the international attack on illiteracy.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Today we have projects of economic and technical co-operation in over fifty other developing countries, while thousands of students and trainees come to us each year. A series of international conferences that have taken place at Rehovot in Israel have served the purpose of clarifying the needs of new States and seeking constructive answers. The themes of these conferences have covered science and technology, rural planning and monetary and fiscal problems, and the participants have included government leaders and top experts from over fifty countries. 93. In the social field, special praise is due to UNICEF for the growing scope of its work in the less developed countries.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“92. But with all their need for external aid, the developing countries will have to advance mainly by their own exertions and by co-operation among themselves. As a post-war State situated at the junction between Asia and Africa, Israel is happy to be an active participant in this process of direct co-operation with many other developing lands in those two continents, as well as in Latin America and the Middle East. Such a role is basic to our own sense of mission, and our place in the world. In Israel we have mobilized all our creative energy and pioneering zeal in tackling the development problems of our own small country, and we have sought to share with others our experience in nation-building.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Yet, if they obtain loans at the prevailing terms, the repayment of the principal and interest will, in many cases, catch up with the total amount of financial assistance they receive from elsewhere, and the whole development effort will be defeated. At the United Nations Trade and Development Conference in Geneva, the Governor of the Bank of Israel, Mr. David Horowitz, submitted an ambitious plan for making development capital available to poorer countries at a greatly increased rate, and on the easy terms of the International Development Association (IDA). My delegation believes that such an approach is in the long-term interests of the industrial nations as well, as it would expand the market for their capital goods. At any rate, it seems evident that this is a problem which will not be resolved just by a conservative banking attitude.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“It is, of course, legitimate for the more advanced countries to enjoy constant progress, and a steady rise in the standard of living of their people. But this must not be achieved at the expense of the poorer countries, from which they import raw materials. Nothing is solved when aid is offered to developing countries, while their natural wealth is bought on terms which keep them poor and therefore dependent upon more external aid. 91. No less serious a question is how to make available to developing countries the massive amounts of capital they need for economic growth, on terms they can afford. Without such a flow of capital, they cannot attain self-sustained growth.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“We are now half-way through the hopefully proclaimed United Nations Development Decade without substantial progress having been accomplished. It would seem that international collective responsibility is still in its infancy, and that what we require is a revolution in our thinking about these problems. 89. The most burning issue in the world economic picture, as far as the developing countries see it, may well be that which relates to the marketing of primary products. It was most distressing to read in the Secretary-General's introduction to his annual report that: "... a disturbing shadow has been cast, in the form of a worsening of the relative economic position of the developing countries. ...the terms of trade are moving against the developing countries." [A/600l/Add.1, section IV.] 90.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“We know that there is no lack of goodwill towards the developing and struggling countries, and no, lack of agencies and institutions, both bilateral and multilateral, through which international aid is made available to them. I have no intention of minimizing the extent to which international co-operation has grown up. There are remarkable facts quoted in the Secretary- General's lucid and thoughtful introduction to his current annual report concerning the work done over the years by the Special Fund, the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance, and UNICEF, If one totals the annual budgets of the United Nations and the specialized agencies in the economic and social fields, the figure is very impressive; and considerably more is being done through direct channels. 88. Yet it seems that what has taken place so far is quite inadequate.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Within two decades it has transformed the political map of the world, and today over 90 per cent of the human race lives in sovereign States. The Israel delegation will continue to give its full support to the cause of national independence where it has not yet been attained, and, in particular, to the liberation of all African territories still under colonial rule. 86. It was with great satisfaction that we at this Assembly welcomed three more newly independent countries into our Organization: the Gambia, the Maldive Islands and Singapore. We greet them in a sincere spirit of friendship and co-operation. 87. However spectacular and rapid the march to independence has been, one cannot but feel unhappy at the slow tempo of development in those countries that have already gained their sovereignty.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“If we were to be relieved of the threat of war, our generation would be better equipped to face the formidable array of unresolved human problems. I should like to refer briefly to some of these basic questions. 85. To begin with, these are still difficult and even explosive problems left unresolved in the colonial field, such as those of Rhodesia, Angola, Mozambique, so-called Portuguese Guinea and others. This is an era when the recognition if almost universal that all nations are entitled to equal status and common dignity. Those who resist that truth cannot possibly win; they can only cause more bitterness and more pain. The irresistible tide of independence is the most striking historical event of the age.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“In all the years of our existence as an independent State we have repeatedly called upon our neighbours to abandon policies of belligerence, to settle our disputes by direct negotiation, and to agree on a relationship based on mutual respect for the sovereignty of all States in that region. Again today we call upon our neighbours to substitute for a doctrine of war the doctrine of peace, coexistence and fruitful cooperation. We do not call for peace from a position of weakness, nor are we animated by an arrogance of strength. We consider peace as the dictate of the hour, and the doorway to progress and development for all our peoples. 84. Peace is more than just the absence of war. Only peace makes it possible to create a society in which all our energies can be concentrated on constructive purposes.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“56]; his advice to both India and Pakistan to solve their problems by peaceful means; the adherence of his country to the principles of coexistence; and so on. We agree to that fully. But it is very regrettable that his address serves as an example of the pattern I mentioned earlier in my speech, that some countries speak very eloquently on the necessity of peace, disarmament, and the solution of international problems by peaceful means, but follow a directly contrary policy in cases where they themselves are involved. 83. My Government, for its part, regards its signature of the Charter as committing it to the independence and integrity of every single other Member State. The Charter principles to which I have referred are for us not mere moral precepts, but guidelines for the conduct of our international relations.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“It is to us paradoxical that States that proclaim these doctrines of war and pursue these policies sit as Members of the United Nations, and even as members of the Security Council and the Disarmament Committee. It is our contention that the United Nations as such cannot close its ears to doctrines and policies of war unless it wishes to abdicate its primary responsibility. 82. I naturally do not intend to say one word as to the rights and justification for the existence of the State of Israel, now entering its eighteenth, year of renewed statehood. But I must say that it gives me great satisfaction to note that there is agreement between the United Arab Republic and Israel as expressed by the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Republic this morning: "a dangerous trend to use force in international relations" [1351st meeting, para.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Let no one feel reassured at the allegedly good news that a war which Arab leaders describe as inevitable has been postponed for four years. By insisting on their war aims and pursuing their war preparations, they are condemning the region to years of a wasteful and escalating arms race into which Israel, too, is obliged against its will, to divert precious resources and efforts for maintaining its own armed strength, since its defence capability is essential to deter its enemies. The price-tag for such an arms race includes the retarding of progress, the poisoning of young minds in the Arab countries with sentiments of hatred and revenge, and the building-up of explosive tensions.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“From these three gatherings there came no peace tidings, no call for friendship and brotherhood between peoples, no economic plans to solve the development problems of the parties concerned, no challenge to the hunger, poverty, disease and illiteracy from which many of their inhabitants suffer. From those conference halls came only the voice of belligerence. The agenda was a programme of aggression against a Member State, calling for a unified military command, piling up more weapons, and even recruiting and training refugees supported by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Palestine to operate against our territory. A budget of nearly half a billion dollars was adopted to finance and prosecute these purposes during the next four years. 81.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“But all the wars which have taken place in our time, with all their destructive consequences, have been waged with so-called conventional arms. Moreover, in many parts of the world these are the arms that are creating dangerous tensions, and the risk of fresh outbreaks. With all the central concern that is properly focussed on weapons of mass destruction, we cannot afford to ignore the grave implications of a conventional arms race. 80. Unfortunately, much of what I have said so far derives from experience in our own region. Three times recently the Kings and Presidents of a dozen Arab States, Members of the United Nations, have gathered to prepare and co-ordinate plans, to establish armed forces, and to approve budgets, with the declared aim of launching a war against another Member State.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Acquiescence in such a situation is not only unjustified toward the State threatened by aggression; it erodes the very foundations of the Organization itself and impairs its moral authority in other cases. 78. The destructive effects of such a warlike threat do not await actual hostilities. Long before, the would-be attacker stocks arms in order to carry out his designs while the designated victim has to arm in his own defence. The direct result is that huge sums are spent on armaments and productive manpower is paralysed in developing countries which cannot yet satisfy the basic needs of their citizens. 79. The world now devotes its thoughts and efforts — and justly so — to the question of limiting and, in the end, eliminating nuclear weapons. This is without doubt the most vital objective facing us.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Can we point to a single conflict which was solved by a so-called "local war" or which could not have been peacefully solved by the parties concerned-given a sincere desire to reach a solution, mutual respect and, above all, the acceptance of the axiom that each State has a right to exist? 77. If we accept the principles on which our Organization rests, can the United Nations ignore the declarations of individual Member States or groups of Member States calling for the destruction of another Member State? Can our Organization remain indifferent when the Charter and the resolutions of peace coexist with preparations for a war of aggression by Member State?”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The latest example has been the fighting over Kashmir which we all pray is now being halted, in response to the Security Council's unanimous cease-fire resolutions and the peace mission of our dedicated and selfless Secretary-General. Did the tens of thousands of widows and orphans left after these outbreaks find consolation in the thought that their bereavement was caused only by a local war? Need we be reminded of the destruction caused, of the tens of thousands of scorched acres? Nobody knows how a global war might begin, but all know what its end will be. As to local wars, we know how they begin but we do not know how they might end. 76.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“At the same time there is a lack of willingness to act accordingly regarding disputes in which individual Member States find themselves involved. We have not succeeded in eliminating from international life the idea that there is a choice between solving problems by peaceful means or solving them by resort to war. 74. Throughout the history of mankind there were patterns of human behaviour which at the time appeared to be natural and acceptable, but which later came to be regarded as inadmissible. So too, our duty now is to eliminate from the thinking of our generation the concept of the use of force as a means for solving international disputes. 75. Since the end of the Second World War, some fifty so-called "local wars" have erupted.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“And again there were Assemblies — and particularly that of 1963 — when we felt that the world had recoiled from the brink of the abyss, and when the horizon seemed brighter. 73. It is a ground for sober comfort that we have lived for two decades now without a renewal of a large-scale war. But we know that this is not the whole picture. No nation today can live isolated, and no conflict between nations can remain isolated. Our world is too small and too interdependent for such dangerous delusions. Yet it seems this lesson is not yet accepted by all. The fears which agitate international life today are the fruits of our own sins. During these twenty years we have allowed the day-by-day behaviour of Member States to be divorced from the United Nations Charter. I believe that declarations about peace reflect the sincere desire of mankind.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“And just as the second war was many times worse than the first — and I repeat that this was due to our failure to turn the League of Nations into an effective instrument for the preservation of peace —we know today that if we fail here the resulting destruction would be incomparably greater than before. None of us can tell if after another war we shall have the opportunity to make a third attempt at peace. Only from this point of view can we realize the responsibility weighing upon us collectively and, even more so, on each of us individually. After all, the Organization as a whole cannot be better or more effective than its Members. 72. There have been General Assemblies during which we sat here in fear, lest the so-called "cold war” flare up into a new world conflagration.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The crisis concerning peacekeeping Operations, as well as recent armed conflicts, makes us view the United Nations in an atmosphere of realism. 71. Much has been said in the course of the general debate about the Organization's balance sheet — about what it has achieved and what it has failed to do during the twenty years of its existence. We must remember that when the United Nations was founded, it represented a second attempt at creating an Organization to prevent the recurrence of war. Had the first attempt succeeded after the First World War, the world would not have been plunged into the tragedy of the Second World War.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“68. I would also associate myself with the tribute paid to your predecessor in the Chair, the Foreign Minister of Ghana, Mr. Alex Quaison-Sackey. His dynamic, resourceful and cheerful leadership helped our Organization to emerge unharmed from the dangers to its survival, which we all hope will not recur. 69. On Monday, we were stirred by the profound spiritual message of peace and goodwill delivered in this chamber by His Holiness the Pope. It was for us a moment laden with history when His Holiness trod upon the soil of Israel last year, in the course of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We hope that his appearance before the Assembly will add to that universal human brotherhood which transcends all creeds and frontiers. 70. We are now embarking upon a new and active Assembly session.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“66. Mr. President, coming to the Assembly from Jerusalem, it gives me particular pleasure to join in the congratulations which have been extended to you on your election to the Presidency of our Assembly. For you have come to this high office from Rome, a city whose influence on the shaping of world civilization has since early times been of the greatest significance. Rome and Jerusalem are not merely names of old cities. They represent some of the most ancient concepts in human history. Our cities have known strife and struggle. But we are privileged to see their revival in freedom and dignity, with friendship and co-operation between them. 67. Mr. President, we are fortunate that this Assembly will be led by one whose ability and wisdom are so outstanding, and who has played so notable a part in renewing the stature of his own country.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The very existence of the United Nations symbolizes a faith in human reason and sanity, and in the capacity and willingness of nations, large and small, to coexist peacefully. We stand at a moment in history when this faith is being renewed and when the threat of war has somewhat receded. Let us at this moment embark again on a genuine search for agreed solutions to the differences which still beset and divide us. We should like to think that the first step in the direction of peace has been made. May the world, and every part of it, now proceed unhaltingly on this path.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“With the rapid increase of the membership of this Organization, it becomes imperative that the various bodies of the United Nations, such as the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, be enlarged so that the new Member States may be adequately represented. Israel has always supported the need for their proper representation and my delegation believes that action in this direction is overdue. We shall give our earnest and sympathetic consideration to any proposals which may be put forward to serve this purpose. 116. In conclusion, nobody in this Assembly would underrate the deep-rooted feelings and fears which might make progress slow and difficult on many of the world's problems.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“Within our modest capacity we have been able in recent years to provide large numbers of experts for these countries and to receive thousands of students and trainees from them, as well as to promote joint economic enterprises in such fields as construction, shipping, and land and water development. This is one of the examples of how small and developing countries can themselves usefully assist each other, and pool their experience and know-how, even though the more advanced industrial nations must at the same time continue to be the major suppliers of capital and skills. We are firm believers in the value of such fruitful and friendly co-operation, in a spirit of complete equality, of respect for the sovereignty of each country over its own natural resources, and of non-intervention in each other's political affairs. 115.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“The Conference brought together economic planners, political leaders, sociologists and agricultural experts from both advanced and less developed countries, as well as representatives of international organizations. Detailed discussions took place on the practical problems of agrarian reform and methods for increasing the production of food for the world's hungry millions. 114. Israel, a small and semi-arid country, lacking in natural wealth, has absorbed over a million refugee immigrants in the last fifteen years. We have had to develop our own techniques and skills, as well as cooperative methods for the solution of our problems. It is a source of great satisfaction to us that our own experience in development and in nation-building can be of some service to other countries.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“In 1960 a large international conference on science and technology in new countries was held in Israel at the Weizmann Institute at Rehoboth. This was the forerunner for the United Nations conference in Geneva, on the same theme. These gatherings served to bring about a truer understanding of the problems. It became clear, however, that a more detailed examination was needed at meetings concentrating on specific fields. 113. A few weeks ago, another conference took place at Rehoboth on the special topic of agricultural planning. It was attended by eighty delegates, some of them of Cabinet rank, drawn from twenty-nine countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“The conventional trade patterns have proved themselves to be ill suited to the needs of less developed countries, since they tend to hold their economies in thrall, to inhibit diversification, and expose them without effective defence to the uncertainties and fluctuations of world prices for their primary products by the production of which they live. 111. The forthcoming United Nations Conference on Trade and Development will have to face up to this problem, and should initiate a new and imaginative policy, aimed at promoting the exports from new countries, assuring them stable prices, and giving them a chance to develop local industry. 112. Whatever funds may be accessible to these countries, their progress will depend on the technical skills and scientific techniques that can be harnessed to their development.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“It admits of no single answer but has to be tackled on a very broad front: capital, export trade, manpower training, agricultural reform, industrial development and improved social services, particularly education and health. The attention of international agencies is more and more being focused on these multiple needs. 109. Let us hope that the men now assembled in Washington at the annual meeting of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund will devise fresh means for making urgently needed capital available to developing countries, on terms which are feasible for them. 110.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“Freedom, justice and peace are indivisible. The world cannot be free as long as anyone nation is dominated by a foreign Power; it cannot be right as long as one group oppresses, persecutes and discriminates against another; and it cannot be secure as long as the existence of one nation is threatened by another. 107. Although much is being said about the need to promote the progress of less developed countries, and much has been done by the United Nations agencies as well as individual Member States, the gap still remains tragically and disastrously wide between the many millions who go without food, schools and medical care, and those who have the best of advantages in all these fields. 108. This, next to the preservation of peace and indeed co-ordinate with it, is the greatest challenge of our time.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“Let us at this time pay homage to a great human being, the late Eleanor Roosevelt, who was rightly called the First Lady of the World, and who was so instrumental in the formulation of this most important Declaration. This historic document was not intended to be filed away in the archives of the United Nations, but to serve as a guide to all of us in our attitude to each other. May we not only make speeches about it, but live by it, 105. My delegation believes that this anniversary should express itself in some concrete fashion. We suggest that UNESCO be requested to urge upon all Member States to make obligatory the teaching in elementary and secondary schools of the principles of this Declaration, so as to impress upon our children the evils of discrimination of any kind, and inspire them with the ideal of brotherhood of all men. 106.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“This stems from our age-old spiritual values, and from our long and tragic historical experience as a victim of man's inhumanity to man. We therefore naturally oppose policies of apartheid, colonialism and racial or religious discrimination, wherever they exist. 103. There is one large Jewish community today that is not permitted freely to practise its religion, to attend to its spiritual needs, or to develop its cultural Life —whose observance of traditions carries with it punishment and suffering— and that must witness our Holy Scriptures and the language in which they were handed on through the generations, abused and suppressed. 104. All of us will shortly be celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. May we all pledge ourselves anew to the ideals of this Declaration.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“I would express the hope that certain problems which arise at present in Central and South America, and which have their roots in the colonial era, should find peaceful and agreed solutions, with full respect for the above principles. 101. Another extremely serious and tragic question which has not yet been solved, despite the fact that this Assembly has dealt with it for many years, is the problem of the apartheid policy practised by the South African Government. The philosophy that the colour of a person's skin places upon him the stamp of inferiority is opposed to the basic truth that "all men are created equal". It is therefore not to be wondered at that the policy of apartheid evokes universal condemnation. 102. The people of Israel feel deep abhorrence for all forms of discrimination on the grounds of race, colour or religion.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“We note with great satisfaction the degree of internal order, stability and cohesion which has been attained in the Congo, after a long period of travail. All those countries which voluntarily contributed to this progress, through the United Nations and directly, deserve the gratitude of the international community. Special recognition must be accorded to the wisdom and realism with which our Secretary-General, U Thant, has dealt with the complex and burdensome responsibility thrust upon his shoulders. We also express our appreciation to the United Nations personnel and to the United Nations forces in the Congo for their devoted service in the cause of peace. Israel salutes the Government of the united Congo, and we look forward to cementing still further the present ties of friendship and co-operation between our two countries. 100.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“There can be no doubt as to the outcome of this struggle. We are fortunate to live in an age whose outstanding achievement is its refusal to tolerate the domination of one people by another. This achievement is evident in the very composition of our Organization today. 97. We appeal to Portugal to consider whether bloodshed is necessary to pave the way for the inevitable independence of the African people under its administration. It is high time that the last remnants of colonial rule in Africa should be eliminated. 98. As for Southern Rhodesia, we are in whole-hearted agreement with the view of our African friends that independence cannot be bestowed upon that territory under circumstances which do not guarantee equal rights to all its inhabitants. 99.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“the sovereign equality of all Member States; non-interference in the internal affairs of States; respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each State and for its inalienable right to independent existence; peaceful settlement of disputes by negotiation, mediation, conciliation or arbitration ... ." The Addis Ababa Conference represents a historic achievement in the effort of the African States to advance the unity, peace and development of that continent. Its influence must increasingly be felt beyond the boundaries of Africa itself. 96. It is with sorrow and deep concern that we must refer to certain territories in Africa which have not yet been allowed to gain their natural right of independence. I speak in particular of Angola, Mozambique, Portuguese Guinea and Southern Rhodesia.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“If they were to be agreed upon by all the countries of the Middle East, not as a proclamation for others, but as policies practised by each and every one of us, my Government is confident that they would serve as a sound foundation for peace, cooperation and prosperity in the Middle East, and would constitute a major contribution to the strengthening of world peace. 95. The concept of such a regional code of conduct has recently received fresh strength and impetus through the signature on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa of an historic Charter by the Heads of African States. Article III of that Charter proclaims: "...”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“To lessen existing tensions and to allay the fears of armed conflict, the Government of Israel proposes to all the countries of the Middle East to pledge themselves: (1) To respect the political independence and territorial integrity of all the States of the region; (2) Not to interfere in the internal affairs of any other State; (3) To renounce the threat or use of force; (4) To abandon policies and practices of belligerency, including boycott and blockade; (5) To settle all disputes by peaceful means; (6) To enter into negotiations with the object of achieving complete disarmament with mutual inspection, covering all types of weapons. 94. The Government of Israel reaffirms its adherence to these principles.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“The application of United Nations principles must be universal. Israel, whose right to peace and security is not less than that of any other Member State, has repeatedly stressed, and continues to believe, that there are no outstanding differences between it and its Arab neighbours, including the refugee problem, that cannot be solved through direct negotiations. 92. We have been heartened by the growing volume of opinion expressed in the present and past debates, and in United Nations resolutions, that Israel and the Arab States should reconcile their differences at the conference table. The annual repetition of violent public polemics has become a sorry and sterile routine. 93.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)