Arab Foreign Ministers Parley Split over Issue on ‘palestine State’

A bitter split developed among the eight foreign ministers from Arab countries who are now attending a meeting of the Arab League Council in Cairo, it was reported today from the Egyptian capital. The split resulted from a demand that the part of Palestine which was annexed by Jordan should become a part of a projected Palestine Arab state to include the Old City of Jerusalem, the Gaza area and parts of Israel.

The chief proponent of this project is Premier Kassim of Iraq who this week ordered every Iraqi worker to contribute one hour’s pay to a fund for the establishment of a Palestine Republic. Opposing the project is Jordan which holds that the part of Palestine which she annexed, as well as the Old City of Jerusalem, is now an integral part of Jordan.

Iraq is boycotting the Arab League Council meeting over its dispute with President Nasser of the United Arab Republic. However, the Iraqi proposal is supported at the meeting by other members of the Arab League, which contend that Jordan holds the annexed part of Palestine only as a trustee, in a parallel to the UAR control of the Gaza strip.

Proponents of the idea visualize an independent Arab Republic with the seat of government possibly in Gaza. Haj Amin, the former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem who collaborated with Nazi agents in their Middle East planning, would be the first President.

As a counter to the proposal, which includes formation of a Palestine army from among the Arab refugees, Jordan recently offered Jordanian nationality to any Arab refugee wanting it. The idea for such an army had been scheduled for discussion at the current Arab League Council meeting but Jordanian opposition reportedly had upset plans for such a discussion.

Nasser reportedly was in agreement with the idea that such a republic, financed by Iraq in part, would be a serious threat to the existing alignment of Arab states but he was understood to be against any overt opposition out of fear of driving the Arab refugees into the arms of the Communists.

Nasser, moreover, was reported to be against any settlements with Israel which creation of such a republic would imply and equally opposed to such a resettlement of the refugees, as well as against the kind of resettlement implied in Jordan’s citizenship offer. It was understood that Nasser felt that the idea of Palestine and the grievances of the refugees must be kept alive as an essential tool for him in his battle with Israel on the diplomatic and propaganda fronts.

Gen. Kassim, Premier of Iraq, renewed his pledge that Palestine would be “liberated” in a lengthy speech yesterday broadcast by Baghdad Radio. Speaking at the opening of the first Congress of the Federation of Iraq Trade Unions, he promised that Iraq would aid “the future Palestine republic” with “funds, arms and struggle.”