Cease-fire Violations Alleged by Israel and Jordan in Separate Letters at UN

Israel and Jordan have exchanged allegations here of cease-fire violations. Israel’s charges were contained in a letter sent yesterday to Ambassador Arthur J. Goldberg, this month’s Security Council president. The Jordanian accusations appeared in a letter sent June 21 to Secretary-General U Thant. The letter sent by Israeli Ambassador Yosef Tekoah said that between May 26 and June 23 there have been 68 Jordanian cease-fire violations of which 49 have been attacks from military positions employing artillery, mortars, bazooka and machine guns. He said there had been 11 mining raids and eight attacks by armed commandos who entered Israel.

Mr. Tekoah said that three civilians and one soldier were killed and 15 civilians and 22 soldiers wounded in the period cited. “The danger to the civilian population has greatly increased in view of the recent upsurge in sudden night attacks on Israeli villages. In these attacks heavy mortars are employed frequently by El Fatah units receiving support from regular Jordanian forces,” Mr. Tekoah asserted.

Jordan’s Ambassador, Muhammad H. el-Farra, said in his message that Israeli forces has engaged in a concerted wide range of attacks on the Jordan River’s East Bank during April, May and the first week in June. He alleged that the attacks were aimed mainly at Jordanian farmers and civilians living and working in the Jordan Valley, and said that Israeli troops attempted to cross the river several times, succeeding in planting mines in fields and roads, causing death and injury to civilians. “It is of specific importance to note that the Israelis used the Church of Baptism on the River Jordan as a base from which they shelled Jordanian observation posts and farms,” Mr. el-Farra asserted.