FROM OUR ARCHIVES

65 YEARS AGO

In a statement printed in The Jerusalem Post, a number of theater groups such as Habima and Cameri, along with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, announced that they would stop performing in Jerusalem. The decision stemmed from the new transportation restrictions on top of the Jerusalem Municipality’s imposition on all theaters and artistic enterprises of a 5% tax on tickets. “The budget of the Jerusalem Municipality reaches several million pounds, but there is no sign of any support for the artistic enterprises in the country.”

One of Israel’s museums would receive a collection of ancient coins as a result of the courteousness of Israeli customs clerks. Yosef Berkovitz, a tourist from Canada, handed the collection to the officer in charge at Lydda (Lod) Airport, as an expression of his appreciation of the helpful and polite attitude of the customs officials.

50 YEARS AGO

In an interview published in Der Spiegel, premier Levi Eshkol affirmed Israel’s intention to keep the former Jordanian part of Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. “Israel without Jerusalem is Israel without a head,” Eshkol said. When asked about the future of Gaza, he indicated that the transfer of Arab refugees from there to the occupied western part of Jordan was under consideration.

Non-Egyptian diplomatic sources in Cairo said they had received information indicating King Hussein of Jordan had started – or was ready to start – indirect peace talks with Israel. They said the information indicated the talks would be held through a third party, likely the US or Britain.

The procedures governing the return of West Bank residents who crossed into Jordan between the outbreak of hostilities on June 5 and July 4 were approved by the cabinet. Return crossings would begin after August 10, the deadline for applications to return.

Police headquarters said they was dropping about 50,000 traffic tickets under the postwar general amnesty approved by the Knesset. At a press conference, it was noted that road deaths had skyrocketed by 167% compared to the year before. “The reason for this sudden jump in fatalities is probably the tension felt by both drivers and pedestrians, an aftermath of the war,” commissioner Yehuda Prag said. He added that “the very element of aggressiveness, of smashing forward despite the odds, the characteristics which helped to win wars, still permeated many of today’s drivers. They had still not returned to normal patterns of behavior.”

25 YEARS AGO

A preliminary investigation into the death of Sgt. Eli Isha showed that the soldier was killed by fellow members of the undercover Duvdevan unit near the Samarian village of Bartaa. According to the report, 19 year old Isha had been operating disguised as an Arab, as were the other members of his unit. The unit had been deployed in various parts of the village in a stake-out, aimed at trapping wanted intifada activists. The commander at some point ordered Isha to move to another location. As the disguised soldiers began converging, some soldiers observed an Arab appearing, and shot the man, who they thought was trying to interfere with the operation. The “Arab” turned out to be Sgt. Isha. – Daniel Kra