BRITAIN PROTESTS TO SYRIA

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25389, 12 January 1948, Page 7

BRITAIN PROTESTS TO SYRIA

Arab Raiders’ Incursion Into Palestine TROOPS MOVE TO FRONTIER POSITIONS' ♦ (N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, January 10. day British o, , h . -Daii, m.,i - s Ser. UP ma ” y P ° Bitions alon * the whole Syrian “A British spokesman said: ‘We will repel attacks on Palestine from any quarter as long as Britain holds the mandate. Reuter’s diplomatic correspondent says: “The British Foreign Office has instructed the British Minister at Damascus to protest in the strongest terms to the Syrian Government against the Arabs incursion over the Palestine border on Frirfay- , i Londo " Vle ,r, th ? lncident with concern and fears that hostilities within Palestine may become general.” al

An official report from Jerusalem says: “Five Arabs were killed and three others were believed to have been killed when British troops in the Gaza area returned fire from Arab snipers. The Arabs who crossed the Palestine border on Friday and attacked two Jewish communal farms have returned to Syria. The situation is now normal.” Reporting Friday’s attack by Arabs from Syria the Army stated: “About 600 armed Arabs swept from the Syrian hills into the north-east corner of Palestine to-day and surrounded two Jewish settlements at Szold and Dan. Fawzi el Kawkji, a prominent Arab rebel leader, led the raiders. ‘‘British troops who drove off the Arabs attacking the Jewish settlements used air support. The British also used light artillery and mortars.” The Jerusalem correspondent of the British United Press said that Spitfires were used, mainly for reconnaissance. Three Jews were killed and eight wounded in the Arab attack. It is reported that the British artillery destroyed several houses across the border in Syria. A communique said that there were no British casualties. The British United Press correspondent says that the Arab “Expeditionary Force” is reported to have numbered between 1000 and 2000 men. Other reports say that 600 Arabs took part in the attacks which were aimed at cutting off 12,000 Jewish settlers living in an isolated corner of northeastern Jewish Colony Attacked Firing on British police, 100 uniformed Arabs surrounded and attacked the Jewish colony of Ramat Rachael, near Jerusalem, according to agency reports. British armoured cars intervened and the Arabs were driven off. Twelve Jews and eight Arabs were killed in-an Arab-Jewish encounter in the Negeb area of the southern coastal plain on Friday, in which British troops and police intervened. Two Jews are reported killed in a clash in the Gaza area. Tel Aviv sources said that 11 Jews were also missing. Troops were searching the sand dunes for them. Arabs in the Latrun area' attacked Jewish cars which were taking wounded to the setlement for treatment. Two Jews are reported killed and eight wounded. “All Jerusalem’s seven gates were closed last night,” reports a British United Press dispatch. ‘‘Six gates had been closed since the United Nations’ decision oa partition. Only the Jaffa Gate remained open and the Arabs have decided to close that also. The city is now virtually sealed off. Even Arabs have to satisfy the Arab guard that their entry or exit is a matter of urgency.” “British troops, behind police armoured cars, took four lorry loads of supplies into the Old City of Jersualem where the Arabs are besieging 1000 Jews,” says the Jerusalem correspondent of the Associated Press. “An Army spokesman said that the Arabs had agreed to the passage of the convoy on condition that only British troops manned it Earlier the Chief Rabbi, Dr. Harzog, pleaded with the British Army ‘in the name of God’ to break the Arab blockade and permit food to be delivered to the besieged Jews. “Arab gunners, manning roadblocks, have virtually imprisoned the Jews for a fortnight. Jewish sources claimed that their compatriots were in danger of starvation.” Arab sources in Jerusalem said that Arab national committees throughout Palestine had cabled appeals to the Arab League countries of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan, Iraq. Saudi Arabia, and Yemen for “immediate fiid” after the recent Jewish bomb attacks on Arabs.