Warning by Israel to Jordan Denied Even As Terrorists Return to Bases

Government leaders vehemently denied today a report by the Israel Radio’s diplomatic correspondent, Arieh Meched, that Israel intended to “warn” Jordan not to disrupt normal relations along the border or to draw too close to extremist Arab regimes. Meched, who is considered a reliable newsman, repeated the story on five consecutive newscasts yesterday despite denials from the Prime Minister’s Office, from the Defense and Foreign Ministries and from circles close to Minister-Without-Portfolio Israel Galili, one of Premier Meir’s closest confidants.

Mrs. Meir termed the story “amazing” at today’s Cabinet meeting and said the Foreign Ministry was right in denying it categorically. But even as the denials were issued, Israeli sources reported that Palestinian terrorists who were ousted from Jordan by King Hussein in Sept. 1970 have returned and were re-occupying their old bases at Jarash and Ajloun.

The sources said further that the summer visitors from across the border may have been one of the main reasons for the recent increase in terrorist activity in the Samaria district. They said students among the visitors taught terrorists in the region how to manufacture explosives from chemicals obtainable on the open market. Such homemade explosives were discovered recently in two arms caches near Jenin and Nablus.

JORDAN REJECTS ISRAEL ‘THREATS’

According to Meched, the government decided to warn Jordan after an incident yesterday morning in which a terrorist infiltrator from Jordan was killed by an Army patrol near the border north of Eilat. It was the first such incident along the Jordan border in some time. It was also noted that Jordan has recently imposed a 15 percent duty on all imports from the West Bank, a set-back for Israel’s “open bridges” policy.

Senior sources said today that those developments were not grounds for a warning to Amman. But the Jordanian government ignored the denials and issued a firm rejection last night of Israeli “threats.” Jordan radio said in an official statement that “No warnings will prevent us from taking actions which the national interest demands.”

ALLON IN ‘TROUBLE’ OVER SUGGESTION

With Mrs. Meir, Moshe Dayan, Abba Eban and Galili disclaiming knowledge of any intended warning, some sources pointed to Deputy Premier Yigal Allon as the party who may have been responsible. Allon, who returned Thursday night from a visit to the United States, is regarded as one of Israel’s leading doves.

He is said to be in “trouble” here over his suggestion made in the U.S. that negotiations between Israel and Egypt for an interim Suez settlement and an overall settlement be conducted simultaneously by two different teams. That is not approved government policy. Nevertheless, Allon reiterated the proposal when he landed at Lod Airport. He also said that U.S-Israeli relations were at an all-time high without America’s position in the Arab world being adversely affected.