At the conclusion of the Six Day War, in November 1967, the Security Council of the United Nations unanimously adopted Resolution 242, setting out a framework for peace in the Middle East.
This was based on two principles -
- Withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict. (Note: the French version of the Resolution said the territories for grammatical correctness at the expense of political clarity).
- Acceptance of the independence and territorial integrity of every State in the region and "a just settlement of the refugee problem”.
Israel accepted the resolution, asserting that the questions of withdrawal and refugees could be settled only through direct negotiations with the Arab States and the conclusion of a comprehensive peace treaty. Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula, maintaining that they had withdrawn from territories occupied in the conflict, but were not required to withdraw from all the territories occupied.
Opponents of Israel continue to assert that the Occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights is in breach of Resolution 242.