Meeting with the Mayor of Beit Jala – UNCCP Cttee on Jerusalem’s 8th mtg – Summary record

COMMITTEE ON JERUSALEM

SUMMARY RECORD OF A MEETING WITH THE MAYOR OF BEIT JALA

(EIGHTH MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE)

held in Beit Jala on 9 March 1949

Greetings and expressions of mutual appreciation were exchanged between the Mayor and the Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN explained the task of the Commission and the purpose of its visit to Beit Jala. He asked the Mayor for an expression of views regarding the internationalization of Jerusalem as proposed in the General Assembly’s resolution.

The MAYOR replied with a statement, the main points of which were as follows:

1. The Arabs of the Jerusalem area were overwhelmingly in favour of the establishment of an international regime, believing that it offered the greatest hope of a re-establishment of normal life.

2. But Jerusalem Arabs were apprehensive of the possibility of further Jewish aggrandizement, territorial and otherwise, and would expect the internationalization plan to include guarantees against this. Internationalization would have to be permanent, the Mayor emphasized, in order to be acceptable to the Arabs of his district.

3. The Arabs of the Beit Jala district approved the annexation of Arab Palestine by Transjordan.

4. The Arab Higher Committee could not speak with authority for Arabs of the Beit Jala district on any subject.