The Transjordan Government is prepared to absorb the Arab section of a partitioned Palestine as soon as the British withdraw, according to various indications during the past few days.
Credence is lent this conclusion by King Abdullah’s statement yesterday that the Arab Legion will remain in Palestine after the British evacuation, by Transjordan Premier Samir Pasha Rifal’s statement that “the question of the evacuation is for Transjordan to decide, not the British,” and by the refusal of British military and diplomatic officials in Transjordan to meet with the press, to which they have usually been accessible.
Under a British-Transjordan 25-year military alliance, Britain may keep troops in this country. If the terms of the treaty are extended, it is conceivable that British forces could be based in parts of what are still Palestine. The Premier confirmed this week that he is going to London next month to discuss revision of the treaty in light of the contemplated British evacuation and partition.
The most impressive indication that the Arab section of Palestine would be annexed by Transjordan is the total absence on the part of Palestine Arabs to administer the Arab territory in the event of partition and the recent flurry of meetings between Abdullah and highly-placed Palestine Arabs who are anti-Mufti.
The only possible obstacles would be British opposition; but the reluctance of the British officials to submit to questioning by correspondents and the frankness of Abdullah’s statements suggest that Britain has already given its implicit approval to the plan.
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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.
