FIGHTING CEASES IN JERUSALEM

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25550, 19 July 1948, Page 7

FIGHTING CEASES IN JERUSALEM

Security Council Order Obeyed ARAB DECISION AWAITED ON WIDER TRUCE (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, July 17. Fighting ceased in Jerusalem at 5.30 a.m. local time to-day, jn accordance with the order issued by the Security Council on Thursday night. Jewish troops who had made their way into the Old City last night then withdrew. The British-controlled Near East radio said that the Arabs, bv attacking and occupying a number of Jewish positions before the cease-fire, had thwarted a Jewish plan to occupy all Jerusalem. The Israeli Government has declared itself willing to resume the truce on all fronts. The Arab decision is awaited. The United Nations Palestine mediator (Count Bernadotte), in New York to-day, set 3 p.m. G.M.T. to-morrow as the time by which fighting must cease in Palestine. He acted under the Security Council’s resolution of Thursday, which threatened that disobedience might mean the application of economic sanctions and United Nations armed force. Count Bernadotte left by air to-day for his headquarters in Rhodes, to try to obtain permanent peace for the Holy Land. Asked how long he believed it would take to achieve a settlement in Palestine, he replied: “We can perhaps find a basis for a further solution before the General Assembly meets in Paris on September 21.” He added that he thought peace could be achieved in Palestine without abandoning the United Nations partition plan.

NIGHT BATTLE IN JERUSALEM

The Jerusalem correspondent of the Associated Press says that the truce eame after the wildest night of fighting in Jerusalem’s history. Guns and mortars roared for 10 hours until a Second before the deadline. The Jews opened up with mortars ind sent more than 500 bombs into the Old City before dawn. Arab Legion officers estimated that

the battle cost the Jews hundreds of dead.

Jewish shells set fire to holy buildings along the Via Dolorosa. One struck an ambulance at the Austrian hospital. Others damaged the city’s telephone and telegraph services. Arab Legion officers said that about 5000 Jews attacked the Damascus, Jaffa, and Zion Gates. Arabs climbed the walls and emptied their revolvers at close quarters into the charging Jews.

JEWS CAPTURE NAZARETH

Reuter’s Haifa correspondent says that the Jews to-day proclaimed martial law in Nazareth, which they captured yesterday. Jewish headquarters said that Arab snipers were still firing on Israeli troops from several monasteries. Syrian aircraft are said to have bombed Nazareth last night. Scattered fighting continues in the furrounding hills. A Jewish brigade commander at Nazareth told Christian notables that the Jews would “take direct military action” against monasteries sheltering Arabs. An Israeli Government statement says that one Briton, one Jugoslav, and qi? German were killed in the fighting for Nazareth. They were members cf the crew of an armoured car Jewish gunners put out of action. An Israeli Army communique says that the reads leading north from Nazareth towards Lebanon are crowded with panic-stricken Arab refugees. The Jews claim that they took a large number of prisoners. Arab Legion forces are fiercely counter-attacking in the Lydda and Earnleh sectors, south-east of Tel Aviv. They claim the capture of several important villages on the plains below Latrun. Arab Legion officers are confident that they will recapture much of the ground lost in the last week before the cease-fire order comes into force. The Jews have captured Tireh, three miles south of Haifa, but a number of

Iraqi, Syrian and other Arab forces slipped through the ring which the Jews tried to throw round the village.

An Israeli military spokesman early yesterday announced the capture of four villages north-east of Latrun in what appeared to be a Jewish outflanking movement to cut off the Arab Legion at Latrun from its base at Ramallah.

The Syrians, equally bent on improving their positions in the event of the cease-fire order becoming effective yesterday tried to increase their bridgehead over the Jordan at Mishmar Hayarden by a determined tank thrust to the. north-west. A Jewish communique claimed that the thrust was held and that three Syrian tanks were put out of action. Six persons were killed and 20 were wounded in six air raids on Tel Aviv to-day. A bomb hit a health centre clearly marked with a Red Cross flag. Anti-aircraft fire sent one Egyptian Dakota into the Mediterranean. ARMS TO MIDDLE EAST SOUTH AFRICA BANS EXPORT (Rec. 8 p.m.) PRETORIA, July 17. The South African Government today banned the export of munitions to the Middle East.