Four out of six Arab families occupying homes in a section of the village of Beit Safafa, on the Jordanian border, south of Jerusalem, opted today to let Israel find other homes for them in Israeli territory, rather than live under Jordanian jurisdiction.
The opportunity to choose between living in Israel or in Jordan was given the six Arab householders yesterday after an unusual agreement reached by Israel and Jordan, peacefully ending a dispute before the United Nations Jordanian-Israeli Mixed Armistice Commission.
The dispute started several weeks ago, after an incident along the unmarked Beit Safafa border. To prevent further incidents, Israel told the United Nations it would build a fence around its section of the village. Jordan objected to the fence. Finally, the Israelis agreed that they would cede to Jordan a small tract of land, 30 feet by 45 feet, so as to settle the border. There have been other minor border rectifications between the two governments, in which one side or the other had agreed to cede small sectors so as to eliminate further disputes.
This time, however, there were six houses involved, all occupied by Arabs. Both sides agreed to let the householders choose between living on one side or the other. The four Arabs who chose Israel were being relocated today in undisputed Israeli territory. The two who opted for Jordan were assured by Israel they would be entitled to certain compensation.
The Herut Party protested against this agreement today, demanding that the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) hold a special meeting to discuss the issue. The Knesset is now in recess for the rest of the summer.
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.
