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Israel and Jordan Sign Agreement on No Man’s Land in Jerusalem; Jordan River Diverted

July 12, 1951
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An agreement stipulating conditions under which normal civilian life would be carried out in the no man’s land of Jerusalem was signed here today by Israeli and Jordan representatives and the United Nations chairman of the Israeli-Jordan Mixed Armistice Commission.

In addition, a master map of the City of Jerusalem with the position of occupied houses in no man’s land designated upon it was signed by the Arabs and the Israelis. It was further agreed that no other buildings would be occupied by the forces of either party, except with the prior approval of both. The agreement specifies that both the New City and the Old City of Jerusalem will supply essential services to the respective areas they occupy.

The Jordan River has been temporarily diverted for a stretch of over 1,500 feet in the vicinity of the Bnot Yaacov Bridge in northeastern Israel, it was announced here today. While the river flows through the new channel, the old bed will be deepened so that it can carry off mendewater from the Huleh marsh area. It has already been noted that the new channel has caused a speedier emptying of Huleh water and a drop in the level of water in the Huleh region.

(Jordan complained to the United Nation today, in a message from its Foreign Minister, that damming of the Jordan River by Israel and restricting the flow of the river had greatly increased the salinity of the water, making it less useful for irrigation purposes. The Jordan Government termed this “economic aggression” by Israel and asked Secretary General Trygrve Lie to inform it of the measures the U.N. would take to stop the Israeli action.)

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