King Hussein assailed today the Palestinian guerrillas and the strife and carnage they created in Jordan. In an interview published in the Sunday Times he declared: “We reached a point where my people living in Jerusalem under foreign military occupation were ten times more secure in their homes than people living in Amman. No Israeli on a kibbutz had one-millionth of the trouble we have had here.” Hussein said the civil war which ravaged his kingdom was not over the question of Israel but “was a question of a take-over in Amman” by the guerrillas. Meanwhile, Hussein, who was in Cairo today, was reportedly given 18 demands by Palestinian guerrilla chief Yassir Arafat for ending the Jordanian civil war. Arafat, who heads the largest Palestinian guerrilla group. El Fatah, reportedly demanded among other objectives that Hussein set up a purely civilian government and remove all of his troops from Amman. Peace between Hussein and the guerrilla movement is a major objective of Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
According to informed sources, Col. Nasser is determined to save the guerrilla movement because he considers it an important factor in the struggle against Israel even though the guerrillas often prove to be an embarrassment to Arab governments and injure the Arab cause in the eyes of world opinion. Renewed shooting was reported in Amman today after Hussein formed a new military-civilian government replacing the military regime he installed less than two weeks ago. Although guerrilla resistance was reportedly broken in the capital and Hussein’s forces succeeded in driving Syrian armored invasion forces out of northern Jordan, the Palestinians apparently still exerted some leverage. In a taped television interview broadcast, by the BBC, Hussein castigated Syria which intervened on the guerrilla side last week. “Syria’s intervention was unpardonable,” he said. “They left their frontier with Israel open and sent their tanks into Jordan to fight us.” he said.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
