A sharply-worded note from Israel to the President of the United Nations Security Council drew the attention of United Nations circles today to the potentially explosive situation on the Jordan-Israel border where artillery, mortar, tank and machine gun fire from Jordanian positions on the east bank caused casualties and damage to Jewish settlements on the west bank and among the Israel defense units in the area.
In a letter to the Security Council delivered last night, Ambassador Josef Tekoah, head of the Israeli mission, gave a chronological report of the border clashes that resumed on the night of Feb. 10. He warned that “The Government of Israel takes an extremely grave view of these deliberate attacks and provocations on the part of the Jordanian armed forces.”
Previous Israeli notes have declared Israel held the “Jordanian authorities” responsible for cease-fire infractions, but last night’s letter directly charged the Jordanian Army with deliberate attacks.
Ambassador Tekoah told the Security Council that “these activities have been conducted in complete disregard of the obligations undertaken by the Jordanian Government through its acceptance of the cease-fire resolutions.” He declared that “Jordan is taking upon itself very serious responsibility for a situation of its own making and which imposes the greatest strain on the cease-fire structure.” The Israeli note reiterated Israel’s “readiness to observe fully its obligations under the cease-fire” but points out that “this must be on the basis of complete reciprocity.”
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