ABSTRACT
The national community and leadership of the West Bank formed close solidarity ties with a growing number of Israeli Arabs, while conforming more and more to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) authority, and directives, in addition to the cooperation with the Gaza Strip Palestinians. Most West Bank mayors were ideologically committed to the PLO, and materially dependent on Jordan, whereas the remainder either supported the Hashemites or were intimidated by the PLO. Jordan established in 1979 a new committee for higher education, composed of Jordanians and pro-Jordanian Palestinians, from among the universities' leadership in both banks of Jordan. It is true that the position taken by Israeli Foreign Minister Dayan and Defence Minister Weizman toward the nationalist mayors and the West Bank issues was much more liberal than the Begin-Sharon line, and perhaps even more liberal than the policy of the Labour government.
