Israeli officials withheld public comment today on King Hussein’s proposal to hold a three-faith meeting to resolve the problem of Jerusalem. Privately, Israelis said that the proposal, aired in an article Hussein wrote for. The Times of London, represented “no basic change.” A Cabinet spokesman said in reply to reporters questions that the position of the Israel government on Jerusalem is “well known.” One source said there was “nothing clear” about Hussein’s proposal, implying that the idea would get bogged down over the question of who would represent each faith at the conference.
Hussein left London today for the U.S. where he will meet with President Nixon Tuesday. Israeli officials expressed the view that he is going to Washington “primarily to get financial aid.” They said his recent acquiescence to reactivation of the Eastern Front against Israel was intended to end his isolation from fellow Arab leaders. But they said he was not going to the U.S. as spokesman for any Arab states other than Jordan. “This he has already made clear before his visit,” one source said.
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