UNION OF TRANJORDAN AND PALESTINE

Grey River Argus, 1 March 1949, Page 7

UNION OF TRANJORDAN AND PALESTINE

Plan Makes Slow But Steady Progress

[From Thabet Khalidi, Reuters Correspondent at Amman] The emplementation of the plan to unify Palestine and Transjordan under King Abdullah is making slow but sure progress. It has recently received impetus by the formation of its main Palestinian Arab promoters into a political party, the Liberal Arab Party. About 30 educated young Arabs, belonging to the Party and drawn chiefly from the professions and former Palestine Government civil servants," meeting in Jericho, have drawn up a five-article constitution which envisages the “Arab Motherland as an indivisible unit for whose knitting together the party will strive.” The constitution attributes the ‘‘immediate cause of all the misfortunes that befell the Arabs and especially Palestine,” to “prevailing conditions in Arab countries.” It also declares that, the “Arab Motherland is part of the world and cannot, therefore live in islation.”

The policy pursued by 7 the Transjordan government hitherto appears inclined, to appoint members of the Liberal Party 7 to responsible posts in the Palestine administration. The appointments, observers here believe, would be confirmed by 7 a democratically 7 elected Constituent Assembly as soon as the unification programme is put into practice. The Palestine Moslem Supreme Council, the body responsible for religious affairs, such as courts deciding personal status, inheritance and trusts, has already 7 circulated the text of a special prayer to be said in all mosques throughout the country. The Council is headed by the new Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Husameddin Jarallah. Meanwhile, Palestine Arabs are growing restive. On the one hand, they are almost completely inarticulate in the present settlement of the Palestine problem which is taking place between individual Arab States and the Jews. Conditions for this settlement are being discussed and agreed upon without consulting the Palestinian Arabs. Tangible signs of this restiveness are already appearing in scattered incidents and some circles' believe that the new Liberal Party may soon be called upon to play an effective pacifying role in the final settlement. On the other hand, as refugees’ resources are drained, the refugees problem becomes more and more complex. The resources of Arab Governments have, already been severely 7 strained, and only 7 United Nations Relief of a promised total of 30,000,000 dollars, which began to reach the refugees last December, prevented a sudden catastrophe hitting the 600,000 widely scattered Palestinians.

The presence of Arab armies in Palestine, has hitherto helped to preserve a semblance of Arab economy in Palestine. As the troops require considerable servicing, quartermasters and contractors are able to provide employment fo fair numbers of displaced Arabs. The initiation of a miniature administration since the truce last July has also helped to relieve the penury of the majority of the 28,000 former civil servants. It is estimated that about 5,000 families benefit from the presence of Arab troops. The Iraq, Transjordan and Egyptian armies have all provided some “relief” by recruiting as “irregulars,” about 4,000 refugees into their various services. These “irregulars” are generally paid about £lO a month.

Trade in the form of direct imports and exports, however, came almost to a standstill on May 15. The only buying and selling carried out since has been through Transjordan. This is done mainly in foodstuffs, necessities as well as luxuries being obtained at retail prices in Amman. As a result, the cost of living in Transjordan has risen by 100 per cent, and even more than that in Palestine itself. Similar increases have been recorded in Syria and Lebanon. Former Palestinian merchants with sizeable commercial links with foreign countries are deprived of obtaining “hard currency” with which to import goods.. ” Permits for such currency and some reserved for the people of Transjordan, the only Arab country where Palestinians are allowed to engage in their esrstwhile professions and trades.

Elsewhere in Arab countries, Falestianians continue to exist as refugees. Conservative estimates put the number who can still live on the cash saved in their flight or exodus from Palestine at 4 per cent, of the total 600,000 in Transjordan. Recently there has been a slackening of naturalisation formalities in Transjordan. Applications by Palestinians who wish to apply for citizenship are “sympathetically considered” and approved. Although no official figures are available, informed quarters here estimate that over 2,000 “earners” have so far availed themselves of their facility.