Israeli forces are maintaining a high state of alert on the Jordanian border and-it was disclosed today that heavy fortifications are being constructed along the Jordan River. The eastern frontier, which had been the most quiet since the Yom Kippur War, has become a new focal point of security activity since last Tuesday’s terrorist assault on Beisan. The three terrorists who killed four Israeli civilians and caused injuries to 20 are now known definitely to have infiltrated from Jordanian territory.
A new defense network is under construction in the Jordan Valley and the army has intensified its patrol activities there since the Beisan attack. Jordanian forces have also increased patrols on their side of the line. Armed soldiers riding in jeeps have been spotted along the east banks of the river and on the approaches to it. The Jordanians may be on their own look-out for terrorists while they keep a nervous watch on Israeli preparations.
SYRIANS BUILDING NEW FORTIFICATIONS
The Syrians are also building new fortifications on their side of the buffer zone on the Golan Heights. Katyusha rockets were fired at Kiryat. Shemona near the Lebanese border, and the township has asked the army to distribute weapons to able-bodied civilians to ward off a possible new terrorist attack. Mayor Abraham Aloni of Kiryat Shemona urged the government to issue a stern a stern warning to Lebanon that Israel would retaliate against Lebanese towns in the event of new terrorist outrages from Lebanese territory. The Kiryat Shemona town council has proposed the construction of re-enforced concrete shelters in every house in the town.
WEST BANK RIOTS ABATE
The West Bank was quiet over the weekend after a week of pro-PLO rioting and clashes between demonstrators and police. No further incidents have occurred in East Jerusalem since Friday morning, the Moslem Sabbath, when crowds surged out of mosques shouting pro-Arafat Arafat slogans and tried, at one point to march out of the old walled city. Police fired into the air and dispersed the demonstrators. About 30 were arrested. Several demonstrators and policemen sustained minor injuries.
One incident was reported in Halhul, near Hebron yesterday, where youths burned a pile of tries in the village square. But shops remained open and schools held regular sessions in West Bank towns. Cold, rainy weather kept most people indoors, Israeli authorities noted that most of the rioting and demonstrations on the West Bank was by high school-age youths while the adult population remained aloof.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
