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Four Arab Saboteurs Killed, Three Israeli Soldiers Wounded in Weekend Clashes

July 15, 1968
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Four Arab saboteurs were killed and three Israeli soldiers were injured in a series of shooting incidents along the Jordan River over the weekend. In addition, 10 E1 Fatah recruits were reportedly killed at a saboteur training center in Jordan when a mine they were handling exploded in their midst. Some of the recruits were reported to be from West Bank villages.

A Tel Aviv District Court imposed a three-year prison sentence over the weekend on Meyir Eilathi, 23, who was found guilty of making contact with Egyptian intelligence with the intention of providing them with secret materials. He had contacted the Egyptian Consul in The Hague while visiting The Netherlands and offered his services. Mr. Eilathi returned to Israel before real contact was made and no material was handed to the Egyptians.

Two of the Arab infiltrators were killed Saturday night in an encounter north of the Damiyah Bridge in the Beisan Valley. Some saboteurs escaped across the Jordan River. The Israeli patrol found rifles, machine guns and a bazooka, all Russian-made, near the slain Arabs. The body of another saboteur was found Saturday night north of the Allenby Bridge near where an Israeli patrol shot and killed a marauder Friday night. Three Israeli soldiers were wounded in that encounter when Jordanian forces on the East Bank opened fire on them in an attempt to help a wounded infiltrator escape. Until the discovery of the body it was believed that the wounded man had gotten away.

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