Israeli authorities were waiting today for a reply from the International Red Cross to its request that Jordan return the body of an Israeli fighter pilot, Lt. Shaul Gilboa, who was believed to have been killed when his jet was shot down by anti-aircraft fire Friday during a strike at saboteurs in Jordan. The plane, a French-built Ouraganne, caught fire and was seen crashing inside Jordanian territory about 200 yards south of the Allenby bridge. No parachute was seen. Amman radio said yesterday that the downed jet was a French-made Mystere and claimed that two Israeli vehicles and three artillery positions had been hit by Jordanian fire. Israeli officials said two Israeli soldiers were wounded in Friday’s fighting.
The downed jet was one of two Israeli planes called into action following a 90-minute artillery duel in the neighborhood of the Allenby Bridge. A military spokesman said the Jordanians began the exchange of fire in support of a gang of saboteurs who had come under fire from an Israeli patrol white trying to cross the river back into Jordanian territory. The saboteurs were hampered by the dense vegetation along the river bank and rain-swollen waters.
The downed jet was the first confirmed loss of an Israeli plane since Israel started using aircraft in anti-guerrilla warfare. The policy of striking guerrilla bases and training camps with aerial rocket and machinegun fire has been underway for some time. Planes have been seen streaking into Jordan on many occasions but Israeli military spokesmen have neither confirmed nor denied the raids which are brief and localized, Yesterday, however, the policy was unveiled and explained on a Jerusalem radio broadcast by Gen. Haim Herzog, former chief of Israel intelligence. Gen. Herzog said the new policy was intended to seek out and destroy guerrilla and saboteur bands before they attacked Israeli territory. “Until now we have only acted in reprisal, which meant that the decision for military activity lay in Arab hands,” Gen. Herzog said. “Now, the policy is to seek them out and attack them while training or organizing.” He said the new policy has forced the guerrillas to reorganize into smaller groups and has considerably hampered their operational effectiveness.
Observers here believe the air strike policy stemmed from lessons learned in last year’s heavy ground assault by Israeli forces on the El Fatah base at Karamah, then the largest guerrilla training base in Jordan. The attack was a costly one and gave El Fatah international prestige although it suffered more than 150 dead and many wounded. The base was heavily damaged and was eventually abandoned.
Air strikes are swifter, more effective and much less costly in manpower, although they carry the risk of losing a trained pilot and an expensive jet. The Israeli air strikes are considered to be more effective against guerrillas than similar U.S. airstrikes against the Viet Cong in Vietnam because the terrain is largely bare of vegetation and offers few hiding places. On the other hand, Israeli authorities concede that the use of air power enhances the prestige of the guerrillas while exposing the inability of the established Arab governments to strike back. The guerrillas thereby gain in stature with the Arab masses.
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.
