April 23, 1950 Arab Refugees

“Jordan Assembly to Unify Country

New Parliament Opens today

Palestinians to outnumber

East Bank Residents”

Amman, Jordan, April 23—Parliament, which opens here tomorrow, will be called upon to form for the first time  national state made up predominantly of Palestinian Arabs.

King Abdullah, during his tour of Arab Palestine completed today, made it perfectly clear that his Government completely rejected the Arab League resolution intended to prevent the unification of Arab Palestine and Jordan. When Parliament is organized it will take up a formal unification act.

Two-thirds or more of Abdullah’s subjects in the nw, combined kingdom will be Palestinians and one-third or slightly less native Jordanians.  The total population, according to present estimates is somewhere between 1,100,000  and 1,200,000.

This total is made up roughly of one-third Palestinians residents in their own homes west of the Jordan River, one third Jordanians and one-third refugees from parts of Palestine that are now within Israel

Of the Refugees, some 300,000 to 350,000 are in Arab Palestine and roughly 100,000 east of the Jordan.”

Source: New York Times, April 24, 1950, “Jordan Assembly to Unify Country”