Jordanian Premier Bars Guerrilla Operations Against Israel from Jordan

Premier Wafsi Tal, of Jordan, said on a BBC television interview today that Palestinian terrorists would not be allowed to continue their fight against Israel from Jordanian soil. He also said that Jordan would not give up any of its territory for the establishment of a Palestinian state. On a separate BBC interview, El Fatan chief Yassir Arafat pledged that his guerrillas would continue to fight “for the liberation of occupied Palestine.” He rejected the United Nations Jarring peace mission and said that if the Arab Governments made peace with Israel but failed to give the Palestinians what they wanted, “the fight will go on.”

Arafat, Premier Tal and the Jordanian Minister of Information, Adnam Audeh, appeared on the BBC program devoted to the Palestinian question, Audeh, a Palestinian by birth, said Jordan would continue to “fight to the finish” the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine headed by Dr. George Habash who is trying to overthrow the Hussein regime. Arafat spoke of his organization’s differences with Habash. He said the central committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, an umbrella body of ten guerrilla groups, wanted to continue to fight Israel while Habash, who heads a political party called the National Arabic Movement, decided two years ago to remove King Hussein. Arafat said he would not interfere with internal Arab affairs. “We do not like to fight the Jordanian Government but if they insist we clash, we shall fight.” Replying to questions, the El Fatah leader said he was ready to meet Israeli leaders, such as Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, “on condition that they accept the establishment of a Palestinian democratic state within what is now Israel.”