A new Mt. Scopus “crisis” was seen in the making today following Jordan’s demand for the removal of two maintenance men from the regular fortnightly relief convoy ascending the Israeli enclave on the height. Israel refused to remove the men and the Jordanians refused to permit the convoy to proceed unless the two were removed. Eventually, the entire Israeli party returned to the new city.
Several days ago. in routine fashion, the Israeli authorities handed United Nations officials a list of maintenance men and police guards who would relieve the present garrison.
Last night the Jordanians entered objections to the two, named Levy and Cohen, accusing one of being a “spy” and the other of having ” infiltrated” Jordan territory.
When Israel was informed of the objections, acting truce chief Ltd. Col, George A. Flint was summoned to the Foreign Office and informed that Israel insists that Jordan has no right to decide who will participate in the convoy.
That the Jordanians were shown the list surprised Israeli circles, since Israel had made a point during the negotiation of the Mt. Scopus agreement by Dr, Francisco Urrutia, UN Secretary General’s personal representative, that only the UN had the right to see and check on Israel’s list of men and supplies going up by convoy.
A similar storm blew up several months ago when Jordan refused to permit the regular convoy to cross Jordanian territory to make its way to the Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital buildings atop Mt. Scopus. Then the Jordanians objected to the transportation of gasoline which, they charged, was being used to power excavating tools for use in digging trenches and building fortifications.
ISRAELI OFFICIALS HOPE INCIDENT WILL BE SETTLED SOON
Only after Dr. Urrutia negotiated for weeks with the parties was the matter settled with a new Mt. Scopus “agreement”–not yet fully implemented–which provided for demilitarization of the hill and gave the UN exclusive inspection and control rights as far as the convoys were concerned. Apparently, the UN observers have been sharing their exclusive inspection rights with the Jordanians by showing them the Israeli lists of men and lading going to the enclave.
The reason behind the latest bit of Jordanian troublemaking is shrouded in the unknown, but it follows a meeting between Jordanian Premier Rifai and UN political adviser here, Henri Vigier. At that meeting, the Premier warned M. Vigier that unless the UN put an end to what he claimed was Israeli work on fortifications Jordan would “take steps.” He specifically charged that pneumatic drills could be heard on the ridge.
The incident also came just as the last tension-laden fuss–the protest against Israel troops and equipment participating in an Independence Day parade in Jerusalem–died down Israeli officials expressed the hope tonight that the latest incident would be settled soon and indicated that they expected a reply from UN truce chief Maj. Gen. Carl C. von Horn tonight or tomorrow morning.
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