By April 23, 2008 Read More →

Peace in Holy City, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, May 9, 1948.

jerusalemThe Jews are demanding free access from Jewish Tel Aviv to the Wailing Wall in the Holy City’s old walled area and the deportation of foreign Arab fighters from the Holy City.

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By Associated Press

JERUSALEM, May 8-A cease fire, agreed to by Arabs and Jews, protected Jerusalem and its shrines today for the first time in five months. It went into effect at noon, and not a shot was heard in the first hour.

At the same time a communique was issued in Cairo, Egypt, by the “Command Volunteers, Southern Front Palestine,” saying volunteer Egyptian forces had penetrated about 30 miles into the Holy Land. (See Page 4.)

The Jerusalem truce arrangement was a temporary one designed to prevent hostilities until a permanent truce can be negotiated.

For the first time in a month lights came on in Mamillah road where there are a number of Arab coffee shops.

A spokesman for the Jewish militia, Haganah, said “the cease fire is regarded as temporary only, issued for a short period of time. We do not propose to permit this period to be used to consolidate enemy positions.”

COMMANDO TRAINING

A spokesman for the Arab League said the Egyptian invasion force consisted of 2000 men trained along commando lines. The spokesman said the force would not occupy cities but would concentrate on guerrilla warfare, paving the way for other troops fighting in Palestine. He declined to name the commander, saying it was a military secret. There was no announcement from the Egyptian government.

The Cairo report said the “volunteers” were repulsing Jewish attacks on Iraq Suweidan, some 30 miles inside Palestine.

(Maps show Iraq Suweidan is 30 miles northeast of Gaza, and about halfway between the Egyptian border and Tel Aviv.)

A week ago unofficial sources in Cairo said the Egyptian regular army had crossed into Palestine. This was not borne out.

TRUCE TALKS

The Jewish Agency said it had learned that talks for a permanent truce in Jerusalem will begin tomorrow. The Jews are demanding free access from Jewish Tel Aviv to the Wailing Wall in the Holy City’s old walled area and the deportation of foreign Arab fighters from the Holy City.

Mrs. Golda Myerson of the Jewish Agency also said any permanent truce depends upon agreement of the Arabs to keep the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv road open.

General Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham, Palestine high commissioner, negotiated the cease fire at a meeting in Jericho yesterday with Arab leaders. The Jews did not attend the Jericho talks.

Cunningham sent word to the Jewish Agency of the Arab agreement to halt the fighting if the Jews did. An agency spokesman said Haganah, the Jewish militia, was asked to issue cease fire orders to Jewish units in Jerusalem. The orders reached the Jewish troops at 11 a. m., an hour before the deadline.

A Palestine government communiqué said that since today was the Jewish Sabbath “it is planned to have Jewish officials confer with his Excellency, the high commissioner, tomorrow morning.”

Cunningham talked with the United States, French and Belgian Consuls General, who form the special United Nations Truce Commission, to explain the status of the negotiations. The communique said Cunningham asked and was promised their co-operation. The truce commission had attended the Jericho meeting.

PALESTINE

The British will give up their Palestine mandate Friday at midnight. Arab armies are poised to invade the Holy Land. Haganah, the Jewish militia, has promised a fight to the death. The United Nations has failed, so far, to halt the civil war.

For a map of Palestine, by G.B. Reesor, turn to page 4. Gene Forbes and Ed Radenzel, of The Chronicle staff, will discuss the Palestine military situation, over KYA, at 6-10 this evening.

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