LEAGUE AFFIRMS BEIRUT DECISIONS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25363, 10 December 1947, Page 7

LEAGUE AFFIRMS BEIRUT DECISIONS

Material And Moral Help To Palestine Arabs

“VOLUNTEERS TO GO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE”

(N Z. Press Association—Copyright)

(Rec. 11.50 p.m.) LONDON, December 9. ■ League, after meeting yesterday m Cairo, issued a communique announcing its decision to carry BeiruT med,a V> he H,WSBP<!S ado ßted at the last meeting nt

The council decided at Beirut that material and moral help should be given the Palestine Arabs, and that Egypt, Transjordan, SjT!a, and Lebanon should take “military precautions” on the Palestine boundaries provided they are able to arrange the co-operation of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

The Cairo correspondent of the British United Press quotes Azzam Pasha, secretary-general of the Arab League, as saj mg after the meeting: “What is happening now in Palestine is nothing-—only the puffs preceding the typhoon,” Aziam Pasha added that fighters from Morocco to Afghanistan would join the Palestine battle, aisoouwmii t J A J igh the Arab League said that the Arab States IP , rn ? e “ Britain that they intended sending armed forces into Palestine as soon as the British withdrawal was completed. The official added that the first Arab volunteers would enter Palestine as soon as possible. Egyptians would follow Arabs from Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq,

The Damascus correspondent of the Associated Press says that a communique which the “Palestine Liberation Committee has issued says that 37,000 Syrians have now volunteered to go to Palestine- Those already fully trained are being sent to Palestine m groups to occupy positions and begin guerrilla fighting.

BRITISH DECISION ON EVACUATION

"The question of whether Tel Aviv is to be evacuated and the British civil services withdrawn before the mandate ends is to be considered by the Cabinet in London thia week,” says the Jerusalem correspondent of “The Times.” “The possibility canpot be ruled out, as the United Natjpns seemed to favour it. The mandate over the wnole country will otherwise be laid down simultaneously, possibly in May, which is the date now widely named. In thp meantime, the military are slowly moving towards their ex-* odus points in north and south Palestine, but while the mandate continues no military move cgn be made that would prevent the civil admiriisr tration from continuing anywhere.” The Palestine Government yesterday announced that froip next Monday British and Arab police in the Tel Aviv area, but excluding Jaffa, would be withdrawn, and only Jewish police and the new Jewish Home Guard would operate there. The Jerusalem correspondent of •The Times” explains that this Jewish Home Guard is separate from the Hagan ah. and is being recruited by the Jewish Agency in a general drive which is intended to enrol 8000 men and women between the ages Of 17 and 25 for all “Small groups will he used for fyll= time security and for the Basic pep? vices,” he adds. 4< and others will he used for manual work in settlements and towns, presumably to free men and women already trained in defence there.

“The Govemnfent’s purpose, as stated in the official announcement, is to make more British and Arab police available for mixed areas, such as Jerusalem and Haifa and to ‘take advantage of the Jewish authorities’ offer to assist in the maintenance of

law and order with the Jewisn community." “In the JewUh Part of Jaffa there will be British and Jewish police, and fn the Arab parf British and Arab, police. “Undoubtedly, 3 heayy burden will fall on the British police where the Jewish and Arab pgrts inept, but the Government is trying to prevent as far as possible any form of provocation, and has told tjie Jewish Agency that if cannot countenance an armed Haganah being recognised and having full control of any part of Palestine.

CLASHES ON SYRIAN BORDER

The Damascus correspondent of the British United Press says that in the first border clashes between Syrians and Palestine Jews Syrian villagers armed with machine-guns repulsed Jewish attacks near two small border villages. They killed three Jaws. Three Jews and three Arabs were seriously wounded. The Jerusalem correspondent of the British United Press says that Haganah members bombed two Arah?bwned houses on the Jaffa-Tel Aviv border. They claimed that fire from the houses killed four Jews yesterday. Another Jew was lulled in the border area to-day. “Red flares soared over Tel Aviv last night, calling Haganah’ defence troops to arms against yVrat?s who were reported to be moving' into the Jewish city,” says the Jerusalem correspondent of Reuters. “The glare from burning houses also lit up the sky. “After a number of alarming reports about fighting in the Hatikvah

area, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, 1 Haganah official said that the inci- ! dent had fceen' exaggerated. The Arabs had attacked, bqt had retreated whep the Haganah forces attacked them with grenades. “Meanwhile, hqwever, Irgun Zvqi Leumi members had pourecT into Tel Aviv in lorries and motor-cycles, and caused panic among the population.” It is officially annpunced in Jerusalem that one British soldier was killed and two were wounded when Arabs attacked a British military convoy escorting Jews between an puflying camp qnd Tel Aviv. The Arabs ana the Rritish fought for half an hour. Ope Jew was killed and another w4 s seriously wounded when Arabs manning an illegal road blopk near Haifa fired on their motor-car. The Associated t’ress says it is reliably reported that gupmen who attacked ah escorted bus and car convoy between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem killed Yehoshua Blpberman, a prominent' Haganah officer.