Israel Resumes Payments on Blocked Accounts to Arab Refugees

The United Nations Palestine Conciliation Commission today issued a statement here announcing that arrangements for the resumption of the scheme for the transfer to Arab refugees of their accounts blocked in banks in Israel has now been completed. As a result of assurances given to the U. N. Commission by the Government of Israel and of the revised procedure for application, the Council of Ministers in Jordan passed a resolution on June 3, permitting Jordan citizens to sign the revised application forms.

“In accordance with the agreement reached between the special representative of the UNCCP and the Jordan Council of Ministers and accepted by the Government of Israel, the UNCCP is issuing under its authority an additional sheet to be attached to the application forms,” the announcement said. “This additional sheet sets out briefly the terms of the release of blocked accounts and states also the firm assurance given by the Government of Israel to the Conciliation Commission that the 10 percent compulsory Joan will be refunded in full on all accounts when they are paid, and that the availability and payment of amounts over five hundred pounds sterling is in no way affected by their transfer to the custodian of absentee property. These accounts will be fully available in future releases that are made.”

Before the suspension of the scheme and up to the end of May, more than 900 applications had been received by the banks. Of this number more than 600 had already been approved for payment by the Custodian of Absentee Property. By the end of June the transfers on approved accounts, at the rate of fifty pounds sterling per month on each account, will amount to approximately fifty thousand pounds.