While negotiations were going on among the Jews, Egyptians and the U.N. in Paris, King Abdullah of Transjordan carried out a political coup in Palestine, proclaiming himself “King of Palestine.” The “coronation,” which preceded the proclamation, occurred in the Old City of Jerusalem Friday when Abdullah paid it a visit. Abdullah’s proclamation apparently referred to non-Israeli Palestine.
In a speech to the members of his court who gathered in the Coptic Convent in the old City for the ceremony, Abdullah declared that he was going to “save the Arabs by expelling and annihilating all Zionists and Jews.” The formal proclamation was made by a representative of the Coptic Bishop who declared: “As the Christian Church welcomed Omar Ikn Khatib, handing over to him the boys of the Holy Sepulchre, so we proclaim you today King of Palestine.”
Before the “coronation,” at an Arab Legion review in his honor, the Trans-Jordan monarch stated that “there is no war now. There are disturbances and riots that are worse than war. Our enemies are not only the Jews,” he added, “but also those Arab leaders who betrayed their countries and who failed to keep their processes and ran away from their people.” Later, Abdullah received Moslem and Christian delegations.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
