Transjordan representatives at an unofficial meeting with high Israel officials have put forward King Abdullah’s terms for a permanent peace with the Jewish state, it was reliably learned here today.
Paramount among the Transjordan conditions is that Israel should officially recognize Abdullah’s rule in the Old City. The Jews, the Arab representatives proposed, would have free access to the Wailing Wall. The Sheikh Jarrach quarter, a predominantly Arab sector before the war, would remain in Arab hands, while the Israelis would be granted civilian administration of Mt. Scopus and the Mount of Olives, and access to them. (Sheikh Jarrach, which is located north of the city, controls access to Mt. Scopus, on which are located the Hebrew University and the Hadassah Hospital.)
In addition, the Arabs offered to turn over to the Israelis the Jerusalem-Latrun road and the strategic pumping station at Latrun. In return, they demanded Lydda and Ramleh, both of which are now in the hands of the Jews. If Israel accepts, Abdullah is prepared to recognize it within its present borders–from Metullah, in the extreme north of Israel, to Elath, on the Gulf of Akaba. It is understood that Israel is not inclined to accept the Transjordan conditions.
Israel officially turned over to Transjordan the Arab village of Wadi Fukin, which lies just outside Jerusalem, receiving in return a strip of land in the southern part of the country. This action ends a long-standing dispute, between the two states. It was learned from United Nations sources here that the Arab villagers of Wadi Fukin have not yet returned to their homes.
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