Israeli Government leaders, including Premier David Ben Gurion, Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett and U.N. delegate Aubrey S. Eban, have been holding urgent meetings on the status of Jerusalem, it was learned here today.
It was emphasized that the Jerusalem issue has assumed a special urgency because the U.N. Conciliation Commission is preparing to give Jerusalem priority in its considerations and also because the question is scheduled to arise at the next U.N. General Assembly session in September. As matters now stand, it is expected that two proposals–internationalization or partitioning of the city–have about equal chances of acceptance by the U.N.
The much-touted scheme for Transjordan to take over the Arab parts of the city, including the Old City, seems to be losing ground, according to some quarters. The reason for this development is believed to be the opposition of the other Arab states to Transjordan’s growth in size, territory and population.
Meanwhile, opposition to King Abdullah’s taking over the Arab parts of Palestine is growing among certain parts of the Arab population, particularly in the Ramallah region. Some influential Palestine Arab groups are inclined to start direct negotiations with the Israeli Government on the subject of the establishment of an independent Arab state as envisaged in the original U.N. decision. These groups are asking that a part of the Arab refugees be accepted by Israel and that the remainder be resettled in the independent Arab state.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
