Israel today demanded immediate action by Jordan to prevent aggressive acts and violations of the armistice and called on the Mixed Armistice Commission to discuss definite ways and means for the maintenance of tranquillity along the borders, instead of merely passing resolutions of censure.
Israel’s demand was voiced at a meeting of the Israel-Jordan MAC called to discuss Friday night’s attack near Yahud in which an Israeli civilian was murdered by four khakiclad Jordanians. The Israeli delegate, Maj. Shalom Doron, pointed out that Jordan had paid no heed to former condemnations and it was, therefore, pointless to obtain still another condemnation.
Israel, he said, demanded action and not mere words. “We doubt the usefulness of further decisions by the Mixed Armistice Commission. Five resolutions are quite enough to impress on Jordan the gravity of the situation created by the wave of attacks carried out in the past few weeks,” Maj. Doron declared.
Noting a Jordanian announcement to the effect that orders had been issued to Jordanian troops to fire at infiltrators crossing the border, the Israeli delegate stated: “We cannot but doubt the sincerity and effectiveness of this order as long as Jordanian authorities persist in spreading among their citizens the doctrine of hate and hostility toward Israel.”
Maj. Doron went on to point out to the UN body that the organization of “fedayeen” (sabotage squads) was continuing, with the object of spreading terror in Israel. He added that if soldiers and civilians in Jordan are to cease their attacks, their leaders must end their warlike proclamations and the “fedayeen”–whose very existence is contrary to the terms of the General Armistice Agreement–must be disbanded.
“The last resolution of the Mixed Armistice Commission,” Mr. Doron continued, “could not have stressed with greater force the dangerous situation created along the border. The Jordanian attacks have seriously undermined the cease-fire reaffirmed to the Secretary General of the United Nations, and very little of it is left by now. We demand that the Jordanian delegation ensure that attacks from Jordan’s territory against Israel cease.”
Lt. Col. J.E.L. Castonguay, chairman of the Commission, closed the meeting after Maj. Doron’s statement. The meeting, which had been viewed as an important indication of whether Jordan would cooperate, after its walkout the day before, heard a statement by the senior Jordanian delegate to the effect that there was not sufficient evidence to conclude that the Jordanians were responsible for the crime under discussion, but that his government would do everything it could to track down those who might be implicated. Lt. Col. Castonguay expressed confidence that in view of that statement, every effort would be made to reduce tension.
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