By April 23, 2008 Read More →

Battle of Jerusalem, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, May 20, 1948.

Old City of JerusalemClick here to view the original article.

By the Associated Press

The battle for Jerusalem appeared Wednesday night to be turning steadily in favor of King Abdullah’s Trans-Jordan Arab Legion and Arab Volunteer forces.

Inside the old walled city of Jerusalem, Arab forces drove more than half way through the embattled Jewish quarter. An estimated 400 Haganah and Irgun Zvai Leumi fighters were said to be on the verge of surrender.

The Jewish fighters were under heavy artillery fire which rocked the quarter and splattered inside the walled city with its religious shrines sacred to Christians. Moslems and Jews.

Outside the ancient walls the Arabs cleared the Jews from a Crescent-shaped front on the north, east and south. The Jews held Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital atop Mount Scopus, but most of that height on the north was in Arab hands.

A high Arab official said Arabs expect the battle for Jerusalem will be decided within 48 hours.
8000 ISRAELIS

These officials estimated 8000 Haganah, Irgun Zvai Leumi and Stern group troops are engaged against the Arabs.

Early Wednesday morning, according to an Israel army communique, Jewish shock troops cracked open Zion Gate at the southern entrance to the walled city and joined other Jewish fighters striving to liberate the Jews inside.

The Jewish army said the breakthrough raised the months-long siege of 1700 Jews and that food and medical supplies were rushed in.

As the day progressed, however, these Israeli reinforcements were apparently being forced to give way to the Legion onslaught.

Associated Press correspondent Daniel De Luce was with the Arab Legion inside the walled city. He said some of the Haganah machine gun and mortar positions in stone buildings resembled the remnants of Casino, Italy, in 1944.

Haganah strongpoint outside the walled city were under pinpoint artillery assault by the Legion’s guns.
LEGION SHELLING

The Trans-Jordan Legion communique said Legion artillery was shelling the Jewish quarter and several other strategic positions in Jerusalem, including centers of Jewish concentrations.

It said advancing Arab Legion forces were forcing the Jews to withdraw from the Sheikh Jarrah area and its surrender was expected. The Jews seized the area, which controls approaches to Mount Scopus, when the British evacuated Jerusalem last Friday.

Tel Aviv was bombed late Wednesday for the fifth consecutive day, by aerial bombs heavier than the 50-pound missile which killed 41 persons and injured 60 others at a midtown bus station Tuesday.

On the Jewish supply route to the Holy City-the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway-the Trans-Jordan Legion communique said the Legion had advanced to Latrun, 13 miles west of Jerusalem. The highway is now blocked to Jewish traffic.

The Jews said they captured the former British military camp at Sarafand adjoining Ramle, 19 miles southeast of Tel Aviv. Irgun fighters were trying to take Ramle.
NO ELECTRICITY

All Jerusalem has been without electricity since last Friday. Jews control the main post office, where the telephone exchange still is working.

“They wanted war and they are getting it,” said Munir Abu Fadil, Arab police chief of Jerusalem. “It looks as if they are going to fight to the last man.”

Abdel Rahman Azzam Pasha, secretary general of the Arab League, said in Amman that Arabs were ready to “accept peace at any time” for Jerusalem.

Police Chief Fadil said Arab conditions for Jewish surrender in the old city were-

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