By April 17, 2008 Read More →

Mideast Toll Now 159 As Arabs Gather for Cairo Meeting Monday, Associated Press, Hartford Courant, Dec. 7, 1947.

Arab-Jewish warfare in PalestineClick here to view the original article.

Jerusalem, Dec. 6-(AP.)-Arab-Jewish warfare in Palestine claimed more lives tonight and boosted to 159 the Middle East’s number of slain since the United Nations decision to partition the Holy Land, which Arab national leaders were reported ready to oppose with force.

Palestine’s death toll grew to 80, 51 Jews, 27 Arabs and two Armenians, in the week’s fighting between Arabs protesting partition and Jews defending themselves, and striking back. In Aden far to the south, 75 have been killed, 50 Jews and 25 Arabs. In Syria, four have died.

Chieftains Gather.

Leaders of the seven governments in the Arab League headed for Cairo for a council meeting Monday. Palestine Arab chieftains said the council would map a plan of armed opposition to partition and “in all likelihood” would decide the hour to strike. League countries are Egypt, Syria, Lehanon, Saudi Arabia, Trans-Jordan, Iraq and Yemen.

Holy Land trouble spots tonight were Jerusalem. Haifa and neigh boring Jewish Tel Aviv and Arab Jaffa Arabs and Jews fought with guns, bombs, sticks and stones, and houses were set on fire.

In the old city of Jerusalem tonight, Arabs were reported to have attacked Jewish quarters and Jews to have counterattacked with bombs and gunfire, leveling a row of Arab houses and hurrying some inhabitants beneath the debris.

Officials said two Arabs were killed, two injured severely and one hurt slightly. Police said one Jew also was killed by Arab sniper fire that started the clash.

In Jaffa, one Arab was reported killed and 19 injured at least three of them women, in the bombing of a shop.

In the Negeb (southern desert), official sources said Arab tribesmen dragged two young Jews from a truck and killed them near the coastal village of El Majdal.

Property Loss Rises.

Destruction of property during the week, mounting on the Moslem Sabbath yesterday and the Jewish Sabbath today, raised the total to an estimate of close to $7,000,000 in all Palestine.

To the north, the Arabs of Syria and Lebanon volunteered by thousands and were training openly in the parade grounds of the preparatory school at Aleppo and on the city’s “village green.”

When trained, they will join Fawzi Bey Kawazi’s “Army of Yarmouk,” named for the little river that flows out of Trans-Jordan into the Jordan just below Galilee. The river gave its name to the “Battle of Yarmouk” one of the most glorious episodes in Arabic history when the warrior Abu Bekr led Mchammed’s forces against the crusaders.

Deputy Sami Es Solb, former premier of Lehanon, declared in Beirut that “we are facing a 100 year-war” and demanded compulsory conscription. The Parliament voted 1,000,000 Syrian pounds ($450,000) as the first installment to the “Liberation of Palestine Committee” and declared the United Nations decision on partition void.

The Syrian Chamber of Deputies also debated details of a bill for compulsory military service, having already accepted the principle of conscription.

Premier Jamil Mardam, Bey of Syria declared there the Syrian army was now on the Palestine border and would move into Palestine “in due time.”

Six small fires flared up in Haifa tonight and explosions were heard in half a dozen places. One person was injured from one of the explosions when a grenade was thrown into a Jewish bus. But most of the explosions were from Irgun Zvai Leumi pamphlet bombs. Four of the fires were in Jewish shops, two in Arab places.

A 74-years-old Arab lost an arm when a bomb he was carrying near Jerusalem’s Damascus gate exploded.

Arab arsonists also fired a Jewish glue factory north of Tel Aviv.

Hagana announced that a counter attack against Abu Kebir tonight was the work of Irgun Zvai Leumi, but declared Irgun was still operating independently and had not joined Hagana.

Hagana said Irgun’s casualties were two men killed and several wounded in the counterattack, Arab casualties were not known.

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