Jews in Transjordan
Sir: I read with great interest Robert Silver's article on Jordan (`Water under the bridge', 31 December). It is a pity that he failed to mention that long before the rise of Hitler, and although ultimately subject to the High Commissioner for Palestine, Transjordan was Judenrein. In theory the border between Palestine and Transjordan was open to the citizens of both countries, but was in fact closed to the immigration of Jews even as individuals.
The progress of Palestine in the inter-war years due to Jewish efforts did not escape the notice of the inhabitants of Transjor- dan. In the 1930s Emir Abdullah concluded an agreement with members of the Zionist Executive to lease to Jews for 33 years an extensive estate granted him by the legislature of Transjordan. Premature publicity and opposition by the British Government led to the failure of this scheme, but shortly afterwards influential chieftains of Transjordan under the leader- ship of Metkal Pasha (an extensive land- owner in the southern part of Transjordan — the biblical Moab) met with Zionist leaders to discuss the possibility of Jewish colonisation and although the sheiks stated they would welcome the settlement of Jews in the neighbourhood, this again failed due to external pressures.
David Spector
24 Eaton Manor, The Drive, Hove
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