In spite of the rising flood of literature on the resources of the sea, since adequate solutions for many pressing problems are still wanting, a further attempt to sketch a short survey of the main issues may still be useful. An overall classification of the types of resources and of the suggestions in legal discussion may lead to a better assessment of these problems.

The subject itself is, of course, one for scholars of many disciplines; oceanographic information is now being collected with unprecedented industry. The interest in hitherto hidden aspects of the ocean-depths—in many ways more hidden than the surface of the moon—is not merely one of military strategy. Without better awareness of the resources and whims of the “frail ocean” there is simply no strategy for human survival possible at all.

The State of Israel has always accepted the fact that freedom of the press is both a right and a freedom equal to other basic rights. Even in the absence of a written constitution, the Israel Declaration of Independence implied these rights when is stated that Israel “will be based on the principles of liberty, justice and peace as conceived by the Prophets of Israel; will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of religion, race, or sex; will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, education and culture”. It was self-evident to the framers of the Declaration that each citizen in a democratic and free society has the right to know and only then can he participate in the system of public discussion and choose a course of action.

In 1967 North American investors invested $11.1 million in approved Israeli investments which accounted for 48% of the total foreign investments made during that year. In 1969 North American investors invested a sum of $81 million in similar investments which accounted for 75% of all foreign investments made in Israel during that year. During the years 1967–69, 214 different North American investment projects were approved by the Israeli Investment Centre, with the year 1969 alone accounting for 88 such projects, many in economic fields considered to be most vital to the Israeli economy. In 1969 some 6,000 United States citizens immigrated to Israel. In 1970 this number is expected to rise to 10,000. Indeed, the achievements, often termed “miracles”, of the past twenty-two years would not have been possible without the continual assistance of United States citizens and corporations in both technical know-how and capital.

Security Council resolution 242 (1967), adopted on November 22, 1967, contains the following phrase:
“Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict.”
In the other languages used by the Security Council (except Chinese), that phrase is framed as follows:
“Retrait des forces armées israéliennes des territoires occupés lors du récent conflit.”
“Vyvod izrailskikh voruzhennykh sil s territorii, okkupirovannykh vo vremya n’edavn’ego konflikta.”
“Retiro de las fuerzas armadas israelís de los territorios que ocuparon durante el reciente conflicto.”

That phrase has produced considerable controversy inside Israel, but within that controversy a secondary issue has arisen, of some juridical interest, since some of the protagonists of one point of view or another have purported to see a fundamental difference between one or other of these language versions of this phrase. We have no intention of taking sides in that particular controversy. The aim of this note is more limited, namely, to indicate certain factors relevant to the interpretation of a multi-lingual resolution of an organ of the United Nations.

The term of redemption, ge'ula, is widely used in the Bible. It basically denotes the rightful getting back of a person or object that had once belonged to one or to one's family but had been lost. In the laws this takes the form of avenging a relative's murder (“redemption of blood”), of buying back a relative from slavery, or a relative's land from an outsider. The term is also used of the commuting to money payments of offerings for sacrifice. In narrative, and in particular, prophetic texts the term is given a wider meaning. It denotes the saving òf a person from the clutches of his enemies by a powerful relative, usually God. The enemies may be foreign nations, creditors or even such abstract forces as sin or death. The idea of payment, which exists in some of the laws, retreats into the background. We must be careful, therefore, in examining the sources, to remember that the term ge'ula had not only several legal meanings but also had fairly general currency in the literature of Ancient Israel.

In the last few weeks it has been announced that the Ministry of Justice has prepared drafts for two further Basic Laws on “Legislation” and on “The Courts.” Furthermore, Mr. Shapira, the Minister of Justice has repeatedly pointed out that the moment has come for “completing the Constitution”. A third Basic Law (amounting to a Bill of Rights) is being prepared by a special sub-committee of the Knesset's Constitutional, Legislative and Judicial Committee. Since we already have four Basic Laws, the prospect of “completing the Constitution” may become a realistic one. It would appear that after some twenty years of discussions on the need for a written constitution, after much dispute over the constituent power of the Knesset, the decision has finally been taken to overcome all obstacles and to provide Israel with a rigid written constitution.

It is of course a political decision and has in fact been made on a political level. Although the task of the lawyer is only to assess its constitutional significance, the responsibility of the task is made more important because the political and legal implications are so intertwined. Decisions in the constitutional sphere are political decisions which have to be “translated” into legal language. In this case the lawyer must also determine the accuracy of the “translation” and if he finds it defective, he must point out the defects and the consequences that may arise therefrom.