Haganah and Irgun Fight As One Unit, United Press, San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 14, 1948.

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JERUSALEM, March 13 (U.P.)—Joining forces for the first time since their merger, Haganah and Irgun Zvai Leumi attacked the Arab stronghold of Sheik Hassan Bey Salameh at Jaffa today, reports from Tel Aviv said.

First reports said the combined Jewish force bodily penetrated the all-Arab city of Jaffa to plant explosives at Arab fortified points. Presumably they struck from Tel Aviv, the all-Jewish city just to the north.

The reports said the battle raged for four hours in Abukebir, Jaffa’s southernmost quarter, astride the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. Both cities resounded with machine gun and shell fire.

Hassan Salameh, guerrilla fighter and ex-German army major reached Palestine in December to organize Arabs for civil war and it was thought he had charge of Arabs concentrated near Lydda. A favorite of Haj Amin el Husseini, exiled Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, he was a rival of Fawzi al Kawkji for the post of Arab commander in chief.

DAY OF VIOLENCE

Other violence today—the bloodiest Jewish Sabbath in the four months since the decision to partition the Holy Land was announced—included-

1—An Arab attack against the Jewish quarter in Jerusalem’s old walled city; defended by British troops and Haganah men fighting side by side.

2—A surprise Jewish assault against the Arab village of Al Hussaina, near the Syrian border, in which 12 Arabs were killed, 20 wounded and 12 homes blown up.

3—A two-hour Arab siege, reported by Haganah, of a Jewish farm at Beit Dajan, in the Arab district five miles southeast of Jaffa.

First reports from the old city described a bitter skirmish in border territory between the Arabs on one side and the British and Haganah on the other, in which the British used mortars and machine guns.

ATTACK ON FARM

There were no reports of casualties in the Jerusalem clash.

The Arab force attacking a Jewish national fund frame at Beit Dajan, five miles southeast of Jaffa, poured mortar shells and machine gun fire into defense posts for two hours just after dawn today, Haganah reported.

During a five-minute lull after the first hour a voice called out in German from Arab positions, giving the defenders five minutes to surrender, a Haganah spokesman said. The Haganah men hurled hand grenades back in reply and the battle was renewed.

Haganah forces, meanwhile, protested the confiscation of one of their armored cars by British troops in Tiherias in Northeast Palestine.