Jews Continue Victorious in North Palestine, NY Herald Tribune, Apr. 16, 1948.

Agency Says Arab States May Send In Regular Armies to Avoid Defeat

By Fitzhugh Turner By whistles to the Herald Tribune Copyright 1948, New York Herald Tribune Inc.

JERUSALEM, April 15.-While Jewish military successes continued in northern Palestine, the Jewish Agency at Jerusalem professed today to see signs that the Arab states were about to call out their regular armies in an attempt to save the situation for the Arabs in this country. The agency said the Jewish state would consider use of such regular forces “tantamount to a declaration of formal war.”

So as to make the Jewish position plain on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly. Waiter Eytan, chief of the agency’s press section, told correspondents that “Arab descants in the last ten days have made it clear to the Arab leaders that their volunteer forces are inadequate.”

“Nothing Arab armies can do,” he said. “will alter Jewish determination to carry out the goal. The more Arabs come, the more difficult it will be, but it means little to us whether Iraqis and Syrians operate in the guise of volunteers or as proper, official army forces.”

Arab Villages Occupied

The northern Palestine fighting countered around Mishmar Hacmek, a Jewish model colony southeast of Haifa. Units of Fawzi Kaukil’s Arab League Yarmuk army have been operating in the area since early this month. Haganah, not thus for distinguished for conservatism in its claims, said Jewish forces were occupying Arab villages on the way toward Jenin, an Arab counter.

At Amman. Trans-Jordan, Fawzi Kaukil’s superior. General Ismail Sufwat Pasha, of Iraq, said he was well satisfied with developments thus far. Sufwat Pasha arrived from the Arab League meeting at Cairo to confer with Trans-Jordan’s ruler, King Abdullah.

In addition to taking four Arab villages in the area. Haganah said, its forces captured seven places of Arab artillery, including two 75’s. Some 3,000 Arabs were routed. Haganah asserted, and about 200 hove been killed in the last twenty-four hours.
Colony a Strategic Prize

Mishmar Haemek is half way between Haifa and Arab Jenin. Its position at the mouth of the Valley of Esdraelon makes it a strategic prize. Driving off Fawzi Kaukji’s forces amounted to a major victory, Haganah said.

The success, Jewish sources said, allowed Haganah units to outreach themselves in the valley at the approaches to Jenin, which is a corner of the famous Arab “dangerous triangle of Samaria,” where the Arab League army is ceased.

Another small truck convoy reached Jerusalem this afternoon with supplies from Tel Aviv, meeting no Arabs at all on the Babel-Wad highway. The road has been controlled by the Jews since a victory last week.

Haganah Seizes Military Camp

TEL AVIV. April 15 (AP).- Haganah, the Jewish militia, announced it captured the Tel Latvinsky camp, near Tel Aviv, today after a house-to-house battle with Arab forces. Haganah said it counted twenty-one Arabs killed and that probably other Arab dead were carried away by comrades. British forces withdrew yesterday from the camp and during the night Arab forces filtered in.

Camp Tel Litvinsky was bullet by American forces and was the main Allied recreation and hospital spot in the Middle East during the war. British forces took over the camp after the war.

Air Raid Shelters Built

JERUSALEM. April 15 (AP).-A Jewish source said today about 200 public air raid shelters are being built in Jewish sectors of Jerusalem. The informant said the possibility of air raids on the holy city cannot be ruled out, in view of invasion threats from neighboring Arab nations.