In 1948 Musa Alami was a prominent leader of the Palestinian nationalist movement and a declared enemy of the Jewish State who fled to Jordan when Israel’s independence was declared. Yesterday, Mr. Alami was given an Israeli identity card which is good for travel anywhere in Israel and the occupied territories except for areas that are restricted to all civilians. Identity cards were also issued to his wife, his four children and his chauffeur. Mr. Alami was the former development official for the Arab League.
The Alamis returned two weeks ago from the East Bank of Jordan where they have lived since the June, 1967 war, With the permission of Israeli authorities, they moved back into their East Jerusalem home. Mr. Alami has eschewed politics for the past 21 years. He has been running a farm training school for boys in Jericho and has lived abroad for extended periods. He is said to be disillusioned with Palestinian nationalism and wants only to live as a private citizen in his old home. Mr. Alami was greeted formally by Israeli officials when he crossed the Allenby bridge two weeks ago. His identity card was issued in what Israelis called record time.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
