By April 23, 2008 Read More →

Fighting in Palestine, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, June 12, 1948.

Count Folke BernadotteFour Complaints by the Arabs of Jewish Violations of the Truce

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CAIRO, June 11 (AP)-Counte Folke Bernadotte, the United Nations mediator, said in a statement today that the four Arab complaints of truce violations by Jews were-

1-A complaint from Brigadier John Glubb Pasha of the Arab Legion that an Arab soldier was killed in the Sheikh Jarrah section of Jerusalem this morning, that snipers fired at a party attempting to remove the body, and other snipers fired on two Arab civilians from Hadassah hospital.

2-Three complaints from the Syrians alleging that they had to drive off a Jewish plane trying to bomb Damascus about 10 a. m., that the Jews continued firing after the truce hour near Derdara on the Syrian border, finally ceased fire but finally resumed shooting.

In addition Secretary General Azzam Pasha of the Arab Legion declared he had information that Jewish forces attacked Beersheba in the south after the truce.

The Syrian Charge D’Affaires here declared his country would not be bound by the truce if the violations continued.

TO LAST MINUTE

Up to almost the last minute Jews and Arabs fought for major decisions on the Isdud front south of Tel Aviv, and around Latrun for control of the vital Jerusalem highway, dispatches from the fronts said today.

Then nearly six hours after cease-fire orders were issued on all fronts, authoritative Trans-Jordan sources declared the Jews were continuing to attack the Syrians east of Mishmar Hay Yarden, south of Lake Hula in Northwestern Palestine which the Syrians claimed to have occupied in last-hour offensive yesterday.

An official Trans-Jordan source declared the Jews also broke the truce five hours after it became effective by launching a machine-gun attack on the airport town of Lydda and Wadi El Khyar between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The Arab legion said its commanders did not return the fire.

An Israel communique on the other hand, charged that Arabs launched a “heavy attack” 30 minutes after the deadline on Sedjera in an effort to cut the road in Northern Galilee between Jewish-held Afula and Tiberias. The communique said the Arabs stopped shooting in some sectors but continued to attack in others after the deadline.

An Associated Press correspondent said a salvo of 12 Egyptian shells greeted the truce seven minutes after it went into effect on the Isdud front south of Tel Aviv.

All day yesterday and through the night Jews and Arabs fought up to the deadline in desperate efforts to gain decisive victories on two major fronts. On at least four other fronts they launched surprise offensives in an effort to gain strategic advantage in the last hours.

Egyptian tanks this morning broke through the Jewish cordon that had held about 2000 Egyptians in a trap at Isdud, 23 miles south of Tel Aviv, for more than a week, In their last desperate thrust the Egyptians swept away the Jewish dug-in positions on a sandy hill overlooking the coastal road from Isdud to Majdal.

The Egyptians and 300 picked Israelis were killed in one phase of the battle which swirled around Metsianin (Nitsanim), focal point of the Jewish-sprung trap. But the Jews said they had countered their set-back by taking two Arab villages, Julis and Yassur, farther south, which will keep the Egyptian supply road under fire.

Also at Latrun, key to the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem road, the Jews fought to the last minute to wrest the last possible inch of the vital highway from the reach of Arab guns.

SUCCESSES CLAIMED

Israel declared “important successes” were scored in this last desperate punch but said no details could be given until later.

The Premier of Lebanon said Lebanese, aided by Syrian units, swept northward out of central Palestine last night and reached the Nazareth-Afula road.
SYRIAN ADVANCES

The Syrians said their capture of Mishmar Hay Yarden, south of Lake Hula, was followed by other advances yesterday which left them in control of the road to Tiberias from the north.

The Israelis said they turned back Syrian tank thrusts yesterday south of the Sea of Galilee.

Tel Aviv’s air raid sirens sounded an hour and a half after the truce. No bombs fell.

While Arab and Haganah gunners stared through slits in their sand-bagged positions and kept their rifles at the ready in Jerusalem, King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan chose the first truce day to visit the Mosque of Omar in the old city. He was hailed as Jerusalem’s King by Arabs two weeks ago, and was cheered again today as the city’s “savior.”

Meanwhile, Count Bernadotte deployed his forces to enforce the truce if possible. Two light warships took stations off Tel Aviv and Jews assumed they were part of the international blockade which will try to keep arms and fighting personnel from reaching Palestine.

Seven American Naval and Marine officers and a Swedish army officer arrived at Haifa to supervise the cease-fire operations there. Other observers were dispatched to Amman.

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