Arab Armies May Occupy Entire Area of Holy Land, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 16, 1948.

Click here to view the original newspaper article.

CAIRO, Jan. 15 (AP)—The Arab League has recommended that the Arab nations occupy all Palestine with their regular armies when British troops leave the Holy Land, Assad Dagher, chief of the league’s press section, told a news conference today.

Until now Arab League sources had indicated the Arab fight against partition would be conducted by a volunteer “people’s army” operating along guerrilla lines.

Assad declared the league would consider it an “unfriendly act” if an international police force landed in Palestine before the British withdrawal and added that in such a case the league council would “take steps to meet this emergency.”

JEWISH STATE

Assad said the league, composed of seven Arab nations, does not recognize the existence of the Jewish state projected by the United Nations partition decision of November 29.

Asked whether the plan to occupy all of Palestine with regular Arab armies represented the decision of each individual Arab country or the recommendation of the Arab League, Assad said- “The Arab League recommends and each state is not forced to take the recommendations.”

He declared nothing will dissuade the Arabs from fighting to the end against partition of the Holy Land and said- “The Arab governments have notified the big powers of the Arab governments’ and peoples’ determination to defend their rights even against the big powers’ armies.”

Told that the Palestine government has agreed that foreign countries may send troops to guard their consulates, Assad declared that if the government was unable to protect foreign nationals “each nation is perfectly welcome to send guards.”

He explained, however, that if the “privilege is used to disguise the sending of large forces, the league will make its own decision regarding such eases.”

‘DANGER TO PEACE’

He expressed the hope that an international police force would not be sent to Palestine because he said it would “lead to many problems in the Middle East and endanger international peace.”

The arming of Palestine Arabs will be completed within two months, he said. Asked whether the Jews would wait while the Arabs armed, he replied- “We are ready to lose a number of our fighters at the beginning, but we will win the last round.”

He said Egypt had established a camp at Huckstep, wartime United States base near Cairo, to train volunteers for Palestine.

The Arab League was formed in March, 1945. Syria, Trans-Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt and Yemen are members of the league.