Brig. Gen. William E. Riley, chief of staff to Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, acting U.N. mediator, yesterday proposed to both the Jews and Arabs occupying areas of no-man’s land in Jerusalem that they evacuate these areas and thereby lift the tension, it was unofficially reported here today.
Gen. Riley, who is being assisted by Henri Vigier, the mediator’s personal representative who just arrived from Damascus, has been negotiating with the Jews and the Arabs in an attempt to resume meetings tomorrow of the joint commissions established under the Israeli-Transjordan armistice agreement. The Arabs are said to have agreed to leave their positions in no-man’s land, provided the Israelis evacuate first.
Meanwhile, the Syrians have again refused to resume negotiations with the Israelis for an armistice. They have not yet explained their last-minute refusal to meet at a scheduled session last week.
An official Israeli communique today denied press reports that Arabs in the Beit Iksa area, north of Jerusalem, have fired on Jewish traffic on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv road. The press also reported that Arab troops infiltrated the Arab village of Deir Youb, in no-man’s land in the Latrun area, last Friday but were driven out by Israeli counter-action.
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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.
