About 2,000 Arabs crossed today from Jordan into the Israeli-held west bank of the Jordan River in the first major repatriation of Arab refugees to their homes in the Israeli occupied section. Beginning tomorrow, about 3,000 will be readmitted daily by Israel until the deadline of August 31, set by Israel.
Officials of the International Red Cross said that under that schedule, it would be impossible for all of the 170,000 refugees seeking to return to do so. The officials indicated that they had asked Israel to extend the deadline, perhaps to October 31.
The actual movement began on a small scale Friday when 344 of an expected 1,000 Arabs crossed the river at two points, the wrecked Allenby bridge and a smaller bridge farther north. They were assisted by Red Cross representatives. Repatriation movements were halted yesterday because of the Jewish Sabbath. Jordanian officials have asserted that 200,000 former west bank residents had registered to return. The refugees were taken by Israeli army trucks direct to their homes after being given food by the Israelis.
Applications have been getting a stringent security check, aimed at barring all convicted criminals, known or suspected agitators and Arabs of dubious character. One reason for the stringency, according to Israeli officials, has been a determined effort by Jordanian authorities to induce the refugees to return to occupied territory to be “thorns in the side of the aggressor.”
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.
