Israel police shot and wounded a member of a group of Jordanians who crossed into Israeli territory in the Mt. Scopus enclave, a military spokes man announced to day. The intruder’s condition is unknown.
The Israel Government charged that the Intrusion was a further development of a Jordanian plot to drive Israel from Its enclave atop the height. Observers here view this as the possible beginning of one of the gravest crises in Israel-Jordan relations since the War of Liberation.
The incident, the second in two days, began when a party of 30 Arabs from Issawia Village attempted to march down a road within Israel-held territory this morning. They were warned off, but later a party of about 100, armed with Knives axes and drawn up in marching formation by Jordanian troops who hung back behind them, attempted to penetrate the Israeli roadblock, Warned back, they continued on and the patrol fired on them, breaking up the attempt to violate Israel territory.
Joseph Tekoah, head of the Israel Foreign Ministry’s armistice affairs department, later expressed the Israel Government’s concern over developments. “What we are faced with here, “he said. “is a concentrated Jordanian campaign to undermine our position on Mt. Scopus, and perhaps beyond that. “
LARGEST INCIDENT SINCE THE KILLING OF U. N. OBSERVER LAST WEEK
The Israeli spokesman called this the largest of several incidents since the May 26th clash on Mt. Scopus in which United Nations observer Lt. Col. George A. Flint and four Israeli policemen died. Mr. Tekoah’s charges, accompanied by a statement that the Arabs were not even villagers but appear to have been brought to the area by Jordanian troops, put an altogether different color on the affair. Mr. Tekoah listed a whole chain of Jordanian provocations since the May 26th affray. Of that incident, Mr. Tekoah commented that Israel had evidence that it was a “well prepared military ambush by Jordanian forces brought specifically to Mt. Scopus for that purpose.”
After that clash, he noted, Israel had warned the Issawia villagers to stay out of Israel territory. Four roads lead in and out of the village. there from Jordan and one through the Israeli enclave. In view of the tension, Israel warned the Arabs against using the road and at the same time asked United Nations truce headquarters to search the village for arms it should be demilitarized completely under existing agreements.
It was pointed out here today that the Arabs have been in illegal possession of the village for the past ten years. The village lies within the Israeli sector on the height and should have been cleared of all inhabitants in 1948. In the past few years the Israeli police have given up patrolling the village and progressively the Jordanians have taken de facto control. Israel believes that the march of the armed Arabs today was an attempt by Jordan to either provoke an incident or create a fait accompli giving Jordan the right to use the road through the Israeli enclave.
JORDAN REQUESTS STATIONING OF U.N. OBSERVERS INSIDE ISRAEL TERRITORY
Jordan requested today that United Nations observers be placed on the road where today y’s clash occurred. since this road is clearly inside Israel territory, the Jordanian move was viewed as additional evidence of its attempt to undermine Israel’s authority on Mt. Scopus.
The report of the UN investigation of the May 26 affair, completed yesterday through the questioning of witnesses but without an on the spot inquiry–the Jordanians would not guarantee the safety of the investigating team –is expected to go to UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold this week. Meanwhile, Canadian Colonel James Ricky has been named to replace the late Col. Flint as chairman of the Mixed Armistice Commission.
The Jordan press reported today that Iraqi troops had been “integrated” with Jordanian Legionnaires along Jordan’s western borders. This means that Iraqi units are now stationed along the Israel-Jordan armistice line.
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