SECRET/NODIS
-6-
The Jordan River is not much of a military obstacle between Jordan and Israel. It is a kind of psychological barrier between the East Bank and the Palestinians. Achieving an early disengagement for us is a test of whether we get involved or not. We would like to know, Sir, where we stand now. If we are not to be involved, we are prepared to turn over our responsibilities to the PLO and let them try to deal with the problem.
Another set of issues for us is the PLO. There has always been a dilemma in trying to define where who are the Palestinians. We have large numbers of them in our country on the East Bank and on the West Bank and in our cities. We have dealt with them differently from the way other Arab states have. We have granted them nationality and given those from Gaza passports so that they can have an opportunity to work and even go outside Jordan. Their children can travel to receive an education. They can go to the Gulf and work there to support their families. They need to have an identity.
The President: Have you made them your citizens?
King Hussein: Yes, they are Jordanians.
Secretary Kissinger: Including those working in the Gulf?
King Hussein: Yes, most of them there are our citizens.
Other Palestinians not from the West Bank or from Gaza are left as refugees from the Jewish areas which even under the UN partition plan would have been belonged to the Israelis.
Some of these people are supporters of the Palestinian
