§ 64. Mr. Zilliacusasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent the Government regards Egyptian fedayeen commando raids into Israeli territory as constituting acts of aggression across the frontiers and armistice lines of Israel; and whether he will propose appropriate joint actions to our fellow signatories of the 1950 Tripartite Declaration, France and the United States of America, to put an end to such acts of aggression starting in the Gaza zone.
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§ Mr. Selwyn LloydAs the hon. Member will know, the United Nations has so far arrived at no satisfactory definition of an act of aggression. Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter is however an indication of how aggression might be recognised. On this basis Her Majesty's Government are not disposed to regard border raids as acts of aggression. They are, however, violation of the armistice agreements and it is certainly our purpose to ensure, so far as we can, that they do not take place. As my hon. Friend told the hon. Members for Gloucestershire, West (Mr. Philips Price) and Leicester, North-West (Mr. Janner) on 18th March, one of the chief tasks of the United Nations Emergency Force is to assist in maintaining peaceful conditions. The prevention of raids certainly comes within that task.