The Israeli-Transjordan agreement will facilitate the Jewish state’s acceptance by the United Nations General Assembly which be gins meeting at Lake Success tomorrow, Walter Eytan, Foreign Ministry director-general, told a press conference here today.
Eytan voiced the belief that “there is little doubt that the outstanding problems in Jerusalem, such as access to the Holy Places, passage through Latrun and access to Mt. Scopus, will be solved very soon on a give-and-talk basis by a special Joint Trans Jordan-Israeli commission to be set up for this purpose.”
The Foreign Ministry official emphasized that the most important points rep proved in the armistice agreement include retention of the entire Negev by Israel, the transfer to it of the Gilboa Mountains, the Wadi Araba road and the Ras el Ain Haifa railwsay–with the exception of a small stretch near Tulkarm and Qalqilya. (The total land area gained by Israel under the agreement amounts to some 150 square miles, it was learned here.)
Eytan stressed that the Rhodes pact does not represent recognition by Israel of Transjordan’s title to the Arab triangle area. Nor does this concession “prejudice a final settlement” of the issue, he pointed out.
ISRAELI KNESSETH VOTES FOR FULL DISCUSSION OF TRANS JORDAN PACT
Following a statement today by Premier David Ben Gurion, the Israeli Knesseth voted for an immediate and full-scale discussion of the armistice agreement signed yesterday with Transjordan. The vote came on a motion by Marachem Beigin, Heruth deputy and former Irgun commander.
In his statement, the Israeli Premier said that the accord was an additional step toward peace and toward the achievement of greater independence and progress by the Arab states, as well as for the peaceful settlement of the Middle East problem as a whole. He noted that the consolidation of Israel would be furthered by a strengthening of the independence of the Arab states from all foreign influences.
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