The Arab states’ proposal to merge the four mixed armistice commissions operating in Palestine into one body is neither legal nor logical in the current situation, an Israeli spokesman declared last night, in comment on a report from Damascus that Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon had agreed to one overall armistice body.
The Israeli spokesman expressed the view that the Arab proposal is a pretext and a camouflage for an increase in hostilities along Israel’s borders by the Arab states. He said this was not the first time that the Arab states, particularly Egypt, used an outside diversion to keep the mind of the public off an internal crisis.
He pointed out that Israel had signed four separate agreements with the four Arab states setting up armistice groups. Any change in the structure of the commissions must have Israel’s consent, he pointed out, adding that otherwise the changes would be invalid.
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.
