Hussein’s Plan Will Not Further Mideast Peace, Israelis Say; Arab Views Differ

King Hussein’s territorial plan will not further peace in the Middle East, according to a statement on behalf of Premier Golda Meir to be issued tonight. The statement was drawn up after consultations among Mrs. Meir, Deputy Premier Yigal Allon, Foreign Minister Abba Eban, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, Minister-Without-Portfolio Israel Galili and senior advisors. The text will reiterate previous Israeli statements that there is no connection between Hussein’s plan and Israeli policy.

Mrs. Meir is scheduled to speak for the government in the Knesset tomorrow afternoon and to reiterate that Israel is ready to open peace negotiations with Jordan immediately and without prior conditions. Her statement and that by her office are being issued in lieu of a reply to seven motions for the agenda by various Knesset factions in the wake of Hussein’s declaration.

Amman radio reported this afternoon that Hussein’s plan means Jordan is taking a tougher line in the Jordanian-Israeli territorial dispute. The broadcast added that the federation plan is an internal Jordanian matter of no concern to other Arab states. Jordanian officials confirmed on the broadcast that, contrary to reports yesterday over Baghdad radio, no accord with Israel had been reached before Hussein spoke and no talks had been held with Israelis on it.

ARAB VIEW: MEANINGLESS, OPPORTUNISTIC

Sheikh Mohammed Ali Jaabari, mayor of Hebron, described Hussein’s plan as meaningless without Israeli acquiescence. He added that even if Israel should agree to the federation, West Bank leaders should consult on whether to accept, reject or try to change it.

Former Jordanian Defense Minister Anwar Nuseibah, who recently confirmed he had met with Israeli leaders, told a radio reporter tonight that Hussein’s announcement was a natural step in the attempt to implement Security Council Resolution 242. After the administered territories are “liberated,” he said, West Bankers should have the right to determine their future.

Mohammed Abu Shilbayeh, a journalist who favors Israeli policy over that of Jordan, said Hussein’s statement had come too late and that the plan’s only purpose now is to allow Hussein to present himself as the champion of the Palestinian “nation” and thereby reap a profit in the millions. Abu Shilbayeh said the Palestinians want a federation or coalition with Jordanians, but not with Hussein personally.

TERRORISTS SAY PLAN IS SATANIC

Radio reports said inhabitants of the Gaza Strip showed no reaction to Hussein’s statement. Only a few days ago, the decision to establish Israeli strongholds was announced, and it has been taken by most Strip residents as a sign that Israel intends to retain control there. The thought that Hussein might want to include them in his kingdom seems farfetched to them–a major portion of Israel, including Beersheba, lies between Jordan and the Strip, and at no point is there a common border between the two or between the Strip and the West Bank.

El Fatah, broadcasting over its Cairo-based radio, categorically rejected the Hussein plan, calling it satanically designed. The commentator representing the largest terrorist organization called it a treacherous proposal designed to eradicate the Palestinians’ dreams of nationhood.

(In Washington, State Department spokesman Charles Bray said: “We are anxious that our response to the King’s initiative, public and private, should be measured, thoughtful. With that consideration in mind, we will refrain from public comment until we give it the study it merits. This involves a most delicate relationship, which I won’t discuss.” Bray said the proposals had not been discussed between Jordan and the United States before Monday.)