The Arab Mayor of the town of Gaza, Rushdiel Shawa, called today for the creation of a new Palestinian Arab state which would form an economic union with Israel.
In a statement to newsmen in Gaza, Mayor el Shawa suggested that three Palestine Arab areas–the Gaza Strip, the central “triangle” area and part of Jordan territory–should find a means of co-existence with Israel. This, he continued, would constitute a long-term solution for the Gaza Strip whose natural economic hinterland is Israel.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military governor of the Gaza Strip, Lt. Col. Matatiyahu Peled, said today that if the projected withdrawal of Israeli troops and administration were carried out hurriedly the operation could be completed within two to three weeks. However, he asserted that a full brigade of United Nations troops would be needed to guard the border with Israel and maintain internal security in the Strip.
Col. Peled reported some excitement among the residents of the Strip because of the conflicting reports about withdrawal. In response to some worried queries, he reported, he assured the inhabitants that Israel would not leave the territory in chaos but would hand over the administration carefully.
Reporting on the security situation in the Strip, he said fedayeen activities had virtually been eliminated and some 300 suspected fedayeen had been rounded up on the basis of a list of 640 captured at fedayeen headquarters during the Sinai operation of last November.
The news of Israel’s nearing withdrawal from the Gaza Strip has brought a sudden upsurge in cross-Israel traffic of fedayeen who had sought refuge in Jordan territory and now are attempting to return to their former bases in the Gaza area.
Two such groups were intercepted within the past 24 hours by Israel police units. In clashes between the police and the gangs, six Arabs were killed. One of the parties which was intercepted and wiped out when the Arabs fired on the police had a donkey loaded down with Czech and Swedish machine guns and nine millimetre ammunition.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
