A Dangerous Frontier
The situation along the Israel-Jordan frontier is highly dangerous. An explosion there will not only set the Middle East on fire, it will rock the Western Alliance. Britain, France and America are joint guarantors of the armistice frontiers; but in addition, under a separate treaty, Britain stands com- mitted to fight on Jordan's side in the event of a war provoked by Israel. Yet the United States, even under a Republican Administration, would find it very difficult to avoid passive support for the Israelis. Since Israel withdrew from the Mixed Armistice Commission last week, some Israelis have killed nine Jordanians in an attack on Nahaleen. The Commission has condemned Israel for the attack, but Jordan is to raise the matter in the Security Council and has demanded that the United States cut off aid to Israel. Thus on both sides, the machinery which has kept the armistice in being has broken down. In the last few ?months, there is no doubt that the m Jews have contributed more to this state of affairs than the Arabs. Mr. Sharett has dismissed the latest incident as a " local reaction." What he says is probably true in the sense that it was not planned or intended by him; but it is no secret that there are Israelis in government and military circles, mostly disciples of the militant ex-Prime Minister Ben Gurion, who do plan some incidents in the belief that only by a show of force will it be possible to make the Arabs implement the many clauses of the armistice agreement which they have stubbornly and flagrantly flouted. On the other hand the Great Powers themselves are partly responsible for the situa' tion. The Israel-Jordan frontier was always nonsensical-- strategically and topographically. If they wanted it to he maintained in peace, Britain and the United States should have made both sides believe them; they should have compelled them to re-draw the frontier in terms that made more sense and they should have been prepared to enforce those terms. If there is to be no war, this is what they must now do.
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