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Guardian Says Jordan is on Brink of Civil War Despite Hussein’s Pact with Guerrillas

December 3, 1968
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The Guardian said in a dispatch from Beirut today that contrary to Israeli opinion. King Hussein’s relations with Palestinian guerrillas on Jordanian soil are as bad as ever and his Nov. 16 agreement with them “stems from mutual recognition of Just how bad they are.” According to the dispatch, which was filed before Sunday’s Israeli commando raid deep into Jordan, the Hashemite Kingdom stands on the brink of chaos and civil war. If King Hussein eventually goes along with the anti-Palestinians in his regime, it will be sure to precipitate a civil war and if he heeds the pro-Palestinians he will end up not as the guerrillas’ leader but as their prisoner, the Guardian reported. “The crowning irony is that with the deep gulf of mistrust between the regime and the guerrillas, Hussein has managed to provide the Israelis with a pretext for holding him responsible for what the guerrillas are doing,” the paper said.

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