Israel does not see any need to submit the question of freedom of navigation of the Suez Canal or the Gulf of Akaba to the International Court of Justice at The Hague, nor does Israel intend to make any move in that direction, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry stated here tonight.
The statement was apparently aimed at remarks made at a press conference in Washington yesterday by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles who declared that the United States was studying ways of getting an advisory opinion from the International Court on whether the Akaba waterway was international in character. Mr. Dulles indicated that the U.S. believes that some United Nations organ–either the Security Council or the General Assembly–should seek the advisory ruling.
Earlier, Israeli circles had indicated that the Jewish State, like other maritime powers, considered the Strait of Tiran and the Suez Canal international waterways. If Egypt holds differently, these circles emphasized, let her seek a ruling.
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