The Arab League has decided to fund a war of attrition against Israel, to be waged by a newly established Palestinian underground in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to reports from Tunisia on Sunday.
The foreign ministers of the 21 Arab League member states gathered at league headquarters there for an emergency meeting on the situation in the territories. They decided that every Arab country would be obligated to contribute substantial funds for the war, said the reports, which were attributed to inside sources.
The new underground leadership, which attended the meeting, took a secret oath of allegiance to the Palestine Liberation Organization, the reports said.
But instead of going through the PLO, the funds will be transferred through United Nations relief agencies in the territories, According to the reports, a U.N. representative was present at the meeting.
The monies are intended to help the local population endure prolonged strikes and disturbances, the reports said.
PLO chief Yasir Arafat, addressing the foreign ministers, was quoted as saying, “We have found the weak point in the Israeli occupation. Arab blood will overcome Israel’s guns and powerful war machine.”
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.
