Israel replied today to the Security Council complaint filed yesterday by Jordan, in which the Jordanian Government accused Israel of “aggression,” by pointing out that, in the last 17 months, there had been 43 Arab terrorist attacks against civilian targets in Israel — and that 33 of these originated from Jordan territory.
Michael S. Comay, Israel’s permanent representative, noted in a letter to Dr. J.G. de Beus, of the Netherlands, president of the Security Council, that Israel had suffered 27 casualties and heavy damage as a result of the raids by El Fatah saboteurs. Conceding that Israel raided two Jordanian villages last Friday night, Mr. Comay said in his letter that, while Israel regretted the necessity for those actions, “when all appeals and warnings fail, the Israel Government is obliged to take appropriate steps to protect the security of its citizens and its borders.”
The Israeli letter pointed out that Israel had warned Jordan a number of times that it would be held responsible for permitting El Fatah gangs to mount their frequent attacks from bases in Jordanian territory. Mr. Comay attached to his letter a sketch map, showing the exact spots inside Israel where attacks have recurred since January, 1965. The locations were shown to have included Israeli settlements along all four Arab borders from Lebanon and Syria in the north, to the Gaza Strip in the east to half-way down the Negev frontier facing Jordan.
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