Rival Forces Gird, Associated Press, NY Times, July 9, 1948.

Returning and Redemption
Israeli Move Accepting Cease-Fire Extension Is Rendered Futile

MEDIATOR TO KEEP TRYING

He Seeks a Neutral Jerusalem Some Fighting Is Resumed in Southern Palestine

CAIRO, Egypt, July 8-The Palestine war was virtually on again tonight, The United Nations Mediator gave up hope of stopping it and tried instead to spare Jerusalem’s holy places from destruction.

Count Folke Bernadotte of Sweden, the Mediator, announced at his Rhodes headquarters that the “war is on again,”

He said that Israel had agreed to extend the truce for thirty days but that the Arabs reputed “no.”

The Arabs flashed orders to their soldiers to prepare for action when the truce ended. The secretary general of the Arab League, Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha, said the Arab nations were passing through a big test.

[The situation in southern Palestine was still relatively quiet after expiration of the truce at dawn Friday, said a Tel Aviv dispatch to THE NEW YORK TIMES.

[Egyptian troops tried to come out of a pocket east of Isdud, with twelve armored cars and three tanks. supported by infantry, but were reported checked within a few kilometers. Another Egyptian thrust from the south toward Beer Tuvia twenty-three miles south of Tel Aviv, was also reported held.

[In efforts to neutralize Jerusalem Count Bernadotte was to see the Arabs in Cairo on Saturday and then visit Israeli leaders in Tel Aviv.]
Outstanding Developments

Other top developments of a tense day were-

(1) Count Bernadotte asked both sides to hold up hostilities in Haifa and Beirut. Lebanon, until United Nations officials and guards could leave the war zone

(2) Arab League aides announced at a news conference that it accepted under contain conditions Count Bernadotte’s request for demilitarizing the Haifa refinery and pipeline terminus and Jerusalem’s holy places. Count Bornadotte may talk to Israeli leaders later but he does not expect agreement on Haifa. He does hope for agreement on Jerusalem.

(3) Arab Legion artillery and armor moved up to Jerusalem from the Jordan River base A few shots were heard in Jerusalem.

(4) The United States and Britain were said in be working urgently behind the scenes to impress on the Arabs their feeling that the truce should be extended. But Azzam Pasha declared that Arab relations with Britain would depend on Britain’s loyalty to treaties with the Arabs during this crisis.

Count Bernadotte said both Israel and the Arabs were asked in grant at least a three-day extension of the truce to permit the evacuation of United Nation’s personnel and equipment.

“The Jewish reply accepted this proposal,” he said. “The Arab reply makes no specific reference to is and it is apparently rejected.”

CAIRO, July 8-Egyptian and other Arab armies in Palestine prepared tonight to start shooting again at 8 A. M, local time tomorrow in line with the Arab rejection of Count Bernadotte’s request for an extension of the truce.

But the Political Committee of the Arab League, before it scattered to the seven capitals of the Arab League states this morning sent notes to Count Bernadotte agreeing to continue negotiations for a Palestine settlement if the Mediator made fresh proposals on the lines of the Arab counter-proposals.

In two other notes dispatched last night the League explained, first, that one reason for its refusal to prolong the truce was that the United Nations observers “had not been just” to the Arabs on occasions when Israeli forces violated the truce, and second, that it flatly rejected the proposal for the demilitarization of Jerusalem but agreed to make Haifa a free port on condition that it not be used to land immigrants or military supplies.

The two-and-a-half-hour meeting of the Political Committee this morning was devoted to a discussion of possible international repercussions of the resumption of the fighting. These included possibilities that the Security Council of the United Nations might designate the Arabs as aggressors and impose sanctions that the United States might lift the arms embargo and that Russia might intervene in some manner. The point was raised that Britain was bound by trusty obligations to support Trans-Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.

Atrangements for the administration of the Arab-held areas of Palestine were also discussed.

RHODES, July 8-Count Bernadotte said here this afternoon that “both parties will be losers.”

There was still hope of keeping Jerusalem demilitarized, he said.

Israel, he said, accepted his proposal for a one-month extension of the truce and for discussing the demilitarization of Jerusalem. The Arabs rejected continuation of the truce under present conditions “in view of their experience of the past four weeks.” Their reply on Jerusalem was not clear and Count Bernadotte was still awaiting an answer to a request for clarification.

Both sides refused his suggestion that the Haifa port and oil installations be demilitarized.

Saying that he saw no hope of any last-minute move that might prevent an outbreak of fighting when the present truce expires, Count Bernadotte said he still considered his mission had not ended and that it already had proved worthwhile.

“The war is on again,” Count Bernadotte said. “If one party is more victorious, its position will be better, of course. The other party however, which will lose its position by a military setback, will not be in as good a position as it was.

“The offer of the suggestions was worthwhile because the losing party will have to understand that the offer was made and that they can no longer hope to get so much * * * They take terrible risks in starting the war.”

Would Keep Some U. N. Aides

Count Bernadotte said he would ask authority from the Security Council to keep some officers in Jerusalem on a volunteer basis if the Holy City’s demilitarization under United Nations supervision was arranged.

Asked whether he thought there was any hope of a new truce after fighting had broken out, Count Bernadotte said-

“I am not going to take any more Initiatives for a new truce in the next few weeks. I have told both parties that.”

Of his own position, he said- “You might think that I am a broken man but I don’t think my mission is finished and I was happy to notice that when I said good by both parties said they hoped I would come again some other time to talk with them.”

Neither side liked his original suggestions for a basis for a permanent peace settlement, Count Bernadotte said. The Arabs, he said, considered the suggestions “absolutely pro-Jewish” and would not consider accepting an Israel, state.

The Israeli reply, delivered Tuesday, also rejected his suggestions, Count Bernadotte said, adding-

“They were not at all happy about my proposals.”

Their objections were based of three points, he said- immigration the link with the Arab state and the adjustment of boundaries, particularly in giving Jerusalem to the Arab state.

They objected to the suggestion that after two years of free immigration by Israel the question should be submitted to the United Nations if the Arabs thought interests were being damaged and were unable to reach a direct agreement with Israel.

Israel, he said, made no counter proposals in answer to his, while the Arab League’s counter-proposals Introduced nothing new but were based on the idea of a. “unitary” state and had the same flaws as in the past. Past objections have been that Israel insisted or full autonomy and feared it would not have full equality in a joint state.

TEL AVIV, Israel, July 8-The truce ended in fact today although technically it does not terminate until tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock local time [2 o’clock, Friday, Eastern Daylight time]. Meanwhile this capital and other parts of Israel girded themselves for a resumption of the war.

Addressing the State Council tonight, David Ben-Gurion, the Prime Minister of Israel, injected a somber note that reminded everyone that war was here again. He said the state was entering the decisive phase of the war and probably “the last battle.”

He warned that attacks would be made on the state by land, sea and air but told the Council that these assaults would be met by a much greater force than before. He added- “I hope we will win.”

This afternoon there was an air raid alert in Tel Aviv. The alert which was for an enemy observation plane high above the city, transformed the populace from a carefree, holiday-loving mass into a stern, serious and keenly alerted people ready to face any eventuality.

There were fewer persons on the streets, cafe’s were virtually empty, beaches were deserted and soldiers, who had, been in the majority, were back at their posts.

All leaves were canceled, all posts occupied and airman who had been sitting around restlessly during the truce were waiting for word to take off.

New orders were sent to the front from military headquarters, which buzzed with activity communication lines throughout the state were alive with messages and field commanders were preparing to execute their emergency orders.