TRUCE RENEWED IN PALESTINE

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25551, 20 July 1948, Page 5

TRUCE RENEWED IN PALESTINE

Arab Order Ends Fighting “U.N.’S MOST IMPRESSIVE VICTORY” (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, July 19. Transjordan, Egypt, and Syria last night informed the United Nations mediator for Palestine (Count Bernadotte) that they had ordered their forces in Palestine to cease fire and comply with the Security Council’s truce order. The Beirut correspondent of the “Daily Mail” says that the Arab League leaders reluctantly halted their armies in Palestine. He adds that there is no doubt that the Arabs were forced to accept the new cease-fire order not so much by the Security Council’s threat of sanctions as by the dwindling of war-like supplies from the Western world. The Arabs consider that Western politics have deprived them of certain victory against the Palestine Jews. The Lake Success correspondent of the “New York Times” says the Arab agreement to cease fighting is regarded as the United Nations’ most impressive victory. Dr. Philip Jessup (United States) said that his delegation was genuinely gratified by the success of the United Nations’ efforts. A spokesman for Britain said that it was a great relief, although Britain did not believe that a final settlement would come quickly or easily. Almost every delegation claimed that the prestige of the United Nations would inevitably be enhanced. Count Bernadotte said yesterday that he would spend two or three days in Rhodes arranging the truce observation system and then resume negotiations with the Arabs and Jews.

ARAB LEAGUE’S VIEW OF TRUCE

In a bitterly-worded cablegram, the secretary-general of the Arab League (Azzam Pasha) last night notified the Secretary-General of the United Nations (Mr Trygve Lie) that although the Arabs had accepted the cease-fire order they were “astonished” by the Security Council’s attitude in declaring the Palestine situation a threat to world peace. “The Arab States ‘do not find any justification in the Security Council’s attitude except that it is the desire of the Great Powers to help the Zionists to realise their ambitions in Palestine to the Arabs’ detriment,” he said. "The Arabs must accept the Security Council’s resolution because of the Security Council’s persistence in considering the continuation of hostilities in Palestine a rupture of the peace and because the Council expressed a threat to apply sanctions against the Arabs if they refuse to cease fire. This cease-fire will not bring peace to this part of the world.” Azzam Pasha accused the Jews of having violated the previous truce, and said that the present truce would be realised only under three conditions: (1) The complete cessation of Jewish immigration pending United Nations attempts to solve the Palestine problem. (2) Three hundred thousand Arabs who are refugees must be allowed to return home. (3) The period of the truce must be fixed.

King Abdullah of Transjordan, in announcing the Arab States’ acceptance

of the truce, said that negotiations for a settlement should be carried out carefully and thoughtfully. Reuter learns that Syria held out against the truce until the last minute. Arab sources emphasised that in accepting the cease-fire order the Arab League refused to admit that a Jewish State existed.

JEWISH GAINS BETWEEN TRUCES

The highlights of the nine days between the two truces in Palestine were the Jewish occupation of Lydda airport, Lydda, Ramleh, Ras el Ain, and Nazareth, the shortening of Jewish supply lines, and the cleaning up of

the Palestine coastal plain, thus averting a threat to Tel Aviv or Haifa. Reuter’s Tel Aviv correspondent, in giving these features, says that the intensified activity of the Jewish air force and the appearance of Jewish

armoured units on the central front also emerged as important factors. He adds that Israeli troops on Saturday night, before the cease-fira technically came into effect, capture 1 thfe' Jerusalem Sttßurb of Ein Kapen, reputed to be the birthplace of John the Baptist. Israeli forces before the deadline also reached the Latrun-Ram-allah toad and captured heights overlooking an Arab Legion supply road. Arab mortar shells which fell In Jerusalem yesterday morning after the beginning of the cease-fire wrecked a Hebrew’ newspaper office. The Israeli military spokesman claimed that Israeli naval forces early yesterday successfully attacked Arab vessels and installations at Tyre. The spokesman said that Arab irregulars under Fawzi el Kawakji were using Tyre as a supply base. The Haifa correspondent of the British United Press reports that the Jews advanced 20 miles beyond Nazareth early yesterday, thus opening the direct Haifa-Tiberias road. The Jews, before the truce, also bombed Egyptian positions at El Mejdel and Arao troop concentrations in central Palestine. The Arabs bombed a Jewish airfield in the Plain of Esdraelon. Reuter’s correspondent in Amman yesterday quoted an Arab Legion announcement that violent battles were raging in Jerusalem after Jewish violations of the truce. The legion was repulsing Jewish attacks and inflicting heavy losses, added the announcement. The Jewish radio in Jerusalem had earlier alleged that the Arabs had violated the truce.

Two air-raid alarms sounded in Haifa yesterday after the truce deadline. Arab aeroplanes approached, but dropped no bombs. Before the deadline a Jewish aeroplane dropped several bombs on Damascus and caused casualties.

JEWS USE FLYING FORTRESSES

“Three Flying Fortresses, apparently those which ‘disappeared’ after leaving the Azores in June, have become the backbone of the Israeli air force,” says the Rome correspondent of the Associated Press. “An American pilot said yesterday that he piloted one of them in a Jewish raid on Cairo early on Friday. ‘Lights were shining all over Cairo when we flew in low, and bright moonlight made it easy to pick out our targets,’ he said. ‘We planted several bombs on King Farouk’s palace.’ “American correspondents saw the three Fortresses twice on Saturday flying in formation low over Nazareth.” A New York message says that the Flying Fortress which made a forced landing at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on July 11, took off on Saturday under orders to return to the United States, but flew to the Azores instead—presumably bound for Palestine. The aeroplane left the United States without filing the flight plan required for all aircraft leaving the country. Bad weather forced it down at Halifax, and after a report that the aero-

Blane was bound for Palestine, the anadian authorities impounded it. They allowed it to take off again only on condition that it returned to the United States. The pilot assured the authorities that he was going to Boston, but early yesterday the aircraft landed at the Azores. Canadian Air Force officials said that the aeroplane was supposed to have had only enough petrol for a flight to Boston, and that the flight to the Azores was “a brilliant piece of flying.’’ The Fortress had one engine cowling missing when it took off, no radio, and only two parachutes. The Canadian officials said that the pilot probably eked out the petrol by cutting off one engine periodically. It was possible, however, that extra petrol was stored in heavy wooden crates labelled in Hebrew which were seen in the aircraft. In Washington, Mr Edson Shamhart, the officer in charge of the Custom* Bureau’s investigation branch, said: “The aircraft is now in Portuguese territory and it is out of our jurisdiction.”