British Reporter Says Jordanian Public Sentiment May Be Turning Against Fatah

A British correspondent reported from Amman today that public sentiment in Jordan may be turning against the El Fatah marauders as retaliation by Israel has created havoc and destruction on Jordanian soil. According to Richard Beeston, in a dispatch to the Daily Telegraph “victories against Israel occur mainly in the imagination of the guerrillas. But they are given credence by expensive propaganda material printed in Damascus and circulated among the Jordanians. While most Arabs desperately believe the El Fatah claims, “among some farmers in the (Jordan) valley who have lost their homes, their lands and their livelihoods there is bitterness against the guerrillas whose activities have brought ruthless retaliation,” Mr. Beeston wrote.

“Dressed incongruously in jungle green camouflaged uniforms, well paid by Syria and armed by Communist China, the commandoes swagger around the towns of East Jordan boasting of their deeds,” the correspondent reported. He recalled that three months ago King Hussein failed in his efforts to curb the terrorists because they had captured the popular imagination. “Today, the tide of feelings may be turning as the unfortunate Jordanians begin to realize that Syria and Egypt are prepared to fight their war against Israel to the last drop of Jordanian blood.”