“Of course in order to reach peace Israelis have to give up expansion.If they insist about expansion there will be no peace. ” – President  Gamal Nasser, 1969

“Do you know the problem between the Arabs and the Israelis is a problem going on for 20 years (since 1948. this interview took place in 1969) . I think many people in your country don`t follow the reasons for the continuation of this problem for a long time.

I was talking just now to members of the audience and speaking about the war in 1948. Yes, there was a war in 1948. Some people under the Israeli propaganda accuse us of beginning this war which is not true. I saw that in many of the newspapers and magazines in the United States.
In 1948 there was a partition. There was a Palestinian state and a Jewish state. Before naming the Jewish state, this was decided in the United Nations.And on 15 May Britain decided to leave Palestine.

Before the 15 May 1948, the Israelis entered the Palestinian state, they occupied many territories of the so-called Palestinian state which was err…really said by the United Nations. Well this was the reason of the first war. The Arabs went on of course, to secure the Palestinians and to help the Arabs in the Palestine state. What happened after that was the Armistice Agreement (1949) but also there were the United Nations resolutions by that time after the war and during the war, that the refugees, the Palestinians who were expelled out of their country return back and have compensation for the damage. Israel refused to implement this resolution.

Then there was the resolution for the Conciliation Committee and the Israelis agreed and the Arabs agreed to attend the Conciliation Committee. This was 1949. We went there. The Committee was formed by the United States, France and Turkey. And still the Committee until now there in the United Nations. But after the first meeting, the Israelis refused to talk about the rehabilitation of the Arabs or the return of the Palestinians. This was the reason. We were insisting about the rights of the Arabs, of the Palestinians according to the United Nations resolutions.The Israeli refused and that`s why the problem has continued for 20 years.

Of course in order to reach peace Israelis have to give up expansion.If they insist about expansion there will be no peace. From the statements of all the Israeli leaders they think about expansion.About Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, parts of the Sinai and parts from the Western Bank. So, if we want, if the world community wants peace then they must feel that peace don`t mean expansion to any party.Then after that, Israel was created by the United Nations so in order to achieve peaceful settlement this must be through the United Nations.”

Source: AfroMarxist

Gamal Abdel Nasser Interview (1969)

President Nasser, interviewed in the Presidential Palace in Cairo by New York Times managing editor Clifton Daniel.