December 1, 1947 Rejection of Resolution 181

December 1, 1947 Arab Murder, Mayhem, and Massacre – Lydda, Ramleh, Ben Shemen

“As the Arab League and the Arabs of Palestine reject Resolution 181, violence flares throughout the country.  It is clear that Arab nationalism is about to eradicate Zionism and destroy the Jewish community in Palestine by the use of brutal force.  It is clear that the Jews must defend themselves, as no one else will come to their rescue.  From December 1947 to May 1948 a cruel civil war between Arabs and Jews rages.  After the British leave, the State of Israel is founded on May 14, 1948.  The next day, the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon invade and a full scale war erupts.

In December, a seven-car convoy en route to Ben Shemen is viciously attacked.  Thirteen of its Jewish passengers are brutally murdered.  In February 1948, four hundred students of the youth village are evacuated from the Lydda valley in a sad convoy of buses, escorted by British armored vehicles.  Dr. Lehmann is heartbroken.  By April, the youth village is a besieged military post.”

Source: My Promised Land