The current upsurge in incidents on the Syrian and Jordanian borders was discussed today at the regular weekly Cabinet meeting, the first to be held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister David Ben Guric and with the participation of Foreign Minister Mrs. Golda Meir since the October bombing of the Knesset building.
Israel-Jordan relations reportedly were discussed during the week-end also in meetings between Foreign Ministry officials and Western diplomats. The problem was understood to have been considered in talks between Mrs. Meir and two Western ambassadors who met with her on Friday.
Israel military sources said it was Israel’s policy to employ the greatest possible caution along the Jordanian border to avoid giving any cause for retaliatory acts or to create any tension. This policy, they emphasized, covered even situations in which gunfire would be justified. Border patrols, they said, would rather arrest than shoot an infiltrator.
At the same time, they warned that it would be unfortunate if Jordan would take this policy of restraint as an indication that Israel would permit a situation to develop that would endanger security for Israelis living along the border.
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