Israel Patrols Border with Planes; Seeks to Prevent Clashes with Arab Infiltrees

Israel military authorities were reported today to be using aircraft to patrol the Israel-Jordan border where “incidents” in the last few days involving attempts by Arabs to infiltratel Israel territory have assumed the proportions of real battles.

The Arab press here reports that in a clash between Israel and Transjordan forces near Kalkilya seveal Arabs were killed. A similar fight was reported from the border in the Latrun area where the Israel troops shelled an Arab village in retaliation for firing from the Arab lines. Another battle is reported by the Arab newspapers as having taken place in the Hebron area where Arab infiltrees fired upon Israel soldiers. Four of the Arabs are reported killed.

Arab radio stations report that Israel soldiers are preventing Arabs from harvesting a crop in no-man’s land in the Latrun area. The land was sown by Arabs without the consent of Israel. At the same time, it was reported that in order to speed up the harvesting on the Israel side of the border in the Hebron area, Israel agricultural authorities dispatched four combines to Daharia, near Hebron. It was recalled that Israel Bedouins who began harvesting in that area were attacked from the Transjordan side and of the border and were compelled to leave the fields unharvested.

A slight “border incident” occurred today in Jerusalem when Arabs from behind the walls of the Old City stormed a building on the Israel side of the lines, situated 20 feet from the wall.

(The New York Times reported from Tel Aviv that at the request of the State Department in Washington, the Israel Government is investigating Arab reports of alleged mistreatment of infiltrees into Israel. The reports reached the State Department from Jordan and were supplemented by statements from United Nations observers, the Times dispatch said.)