King Hussein’s statement yesterday that the cease-fire should be maintained was interpreted here today by political observers as meaning that Jordan will keep the cease-fire even if Egyptian President Anwar Sadat orders a renewal of warfare with Israel. Hussein, during an interview with the Beirut newspaper, A1 Nahar, said that an attack on Israel by Arab states could only lead to a disaster for the Arabs with further loss of territories for them. Political observers said that this constituted a threat to Sadat that Hussein may seek a separate interim arrangement with Israel if Arab pressure on him continues. Hussein, in the interview, declared that Arab pressures on his nation “will neither affect us nor will they make us change our policy,” but “will only increase the coherence of our ranks and bolster our faith.” This statement was seen here as a response to boycott threats by other Arab states for Jordan’s massacre of the Palestinian terrorists. Algeria, Syria and Libya have severed relations with Jordan, and Syria and Iraq have closed their borders with Jordan and cancelled Jordan’s right to use their airspace. Hussein also declared that he would never again tolerate the presence of terrorists within Jordan and said that if the other Arab states halted their pressures “Jordan would be ready to coordinate militarily with the other brothers in the confrontation” against Israel. Hussein noted the disaster facing Arab states if they launch a war with Israel now is due to the fact that they are weak and disorganized.
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.
