Radio of Palestine Arabs Voices Threat to Assassinate Eshkol

A threat to assassinate Israel’s Prime Minister Levi Eshkol was voiced today by “Radio Palestine,” a broadcast transmitted from Cairo.

The marauders, said the Arab broadcast, can enter Israel’s peaceful settlements at night at will. “Even the Prime Minister’s life is in danger,” the broadcast stressed. “It requires courage to enter Jerusalem. But the attacks will continue, as will the incidents along the border, even in places like Natanya.” (Natanya is not on any of Israel’s borders. It is on the Mediterranean Sea.)

The Arab radio’s warning strengthened the arguments for action expressed in Israeli circles in the last few weeks, since Syrian-engineered sabotage and murder raids have increased. These circles hold that even the more moderate statesmen in the nearby Arab countries may not be able much longer to restrain the fanatic Arab elements, if the Syrian incited raids into Israel continued without punishment by Israel.

Meanwhile, Arab terrorists struck into Israel again last night. An Israeli patrol was fired upon at dawn inside Israeli territory south of Mount Hebron. No Israelis were hit, and the raiders escaped in the darkness across the Jordanian border, which is only about 40 yards away from the spot whence the shooting had come. The infiltrators were believed to be part of a Jordanian-based group that struck previously in the area west of the Dead Sea.

(In Paris, the entire French press today predicted that growing Arab-Israel tension will lead to serious developments. Leading French newspapers, evaluating the continuing terrorist activities of Syrian-organized Arab infiltrators into Israel territory, were unanimous in stating that Israel cannot remain indifferent to the terrorist acts and will probably have to retaliate.)