By April 23, 2008 Read More →

Holy Land Fighting, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, June 3, 1948.

Israeli ArmyMajor Battles Reported as Jews Resume Fighting After Mixup

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The Israeli government revoked its cease fire order Wednesday night. It ordered its troops to resume fighting on all fronts in Palestine where bombing, artillery and infantry attacks were reported in a half-dozen sectors.

The Jewish government said the order which it claimed, caused its soldiers to withhold all unprovoked fire since 3 a. m. (4 p. m. PDT) Tuesday, was issued under a misunderstanding.

The United Nations Security Council had asked Arabs and Jews to notify it by 3 a. m. whether they would abide by a U. N. appeal for a four-week truce. The Jews said they mistook this deadline-and accepted it-as the actual time for ceasing fire.

The Arabs realized the U. N. had not set a specific deadline for halting the three-week-old war and, apparently, did not slacken their fighting pace. The Jews, under their earlier misapprehension, bitterly accused the Arabs of violating the supposed order.

MAJOR BATTLES

Both sides reported major battles were in progress in the Holy Land.

The Egyptian Defense Ministry said Wednesday night in a communique that Egyptian infantry attacked a heavily fortified Jewish stronghold in the Negha area, 30 miles southeast of Tel Aviv, and occupied a “large number of positions there.”

The Jews counter-attacked in the strongest thrust yet experienced by the Arabs in the coastal plain, the communique said. Arab infantry and artillery and Egyptian planes smashed the counter-attack, it claimed. and “the enemy retreated in disorder.”

An Amman dispatch said a column of several hundred Jews struck 18 miles into Trans-Jordan before King Abdullah’s Arab Legionnaires and allied Arab planes killed 40 and beat them back in a battle that lasted until noon Wednesday.

The Arabs moved more troops toward the battle area, and commanders continued building up their 40-mile line north and west of Jerusalem with guns and fresh men. This front is aimed at Tel Aviv, capital of Israel.

BETTER POSITION

The Israel high command said the Jews’ military position was much better than two or three days ago. Tuesday night Israeli troops drove within three miles of Jenin and four miles of Tulkarm, the Jews said. Both cities are anchors of the strategic Arab triangle in central Palestine.

Jenin now is virtually encircled by the Jews, Tel Aviv informants said.

The Arabs said their forces in the Nablus triangle were aimed at Tel Aviv.

A Jewish spokesman in Jerusalem said, however, that Arab gains in 19 days of war were in Arab areas and that it was possible for the Arabs to be closer than 10 miles from Tel Aviv and still be outside the state of Israel.

Hungarian Recognition For Israel Reported

LONDON. June 2 (AP)-The Russian News Agency Tass reported tonight the Hungarian government had recognized the new state of Israel.

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