FIVE ARAB ARMIES START MOVING

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 October 1947, Page 5

FIVE ARAB ARMIES START MOVING

Defence Of Palestine 'From Zionism

N.Z.P.A —Reuter —Copyright (Recd. 10.25 a.m.) LONDON, October 10. The armies of five Arab nations have started moving to carry out the Arab League's resolution to defend Palestine from Zionism,! says the Associated Press Beirut correspondent. A Lebanon War Office spokesman said that Lebanese and Syrian troops moved at midnight last night and are now manoeuvring near the Palestine border.

The Lebanese press reported unofficially that troops of King Abdullah’s Arab Legion of Transjordan, which is the best equipped and largest native military force in the ’ Middle East are massing along the River Jordan. Highly-mechanised patrols are ready for invasion of the whole of Palestine’s eastern border.

Reliable sources in Beirut, said that Egyptian forces io the south are preparing to move into the Sinai desert and that the Saudi Arabian camel corps are crossing into Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian Government to cordon the Holy Land. It is unofficially reported that Saudi Arabian aircraft landed in Egypt, but this is denied in Cairo.

Semi-official Arab sources in Cairo estimated that the Arab League’s seven States could muster 253,000 regular troops to support their stand for an independent Arab State of Palestine. A Jerusalem message says the Palestine Government forbade publication in Palestine of stories about Arab troop movements.

Arab League’s “War Talks”

Reuter’s Beirut correspondent quotes Azzam Pasha, secretary of the Arab League, as saying that King Abdullah of Transjordan was in “complete unanimity” with the Arab League’s decision to send military, moral and economic aid to the Palestine Arabs in the event' of British withdrawal.

The Arab League’s “war talks” will move from Lebanon to Amman, King Abdullah’s mountain capital,, on October 13, when representatives of Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Yemen will meet King Abdullah to work out additional measures for Arab aid in Palestine.

Azzam Pasha said the Beirut report that the Arab League has already formed a provisional Arab Government for Palestine was premature. The question was scheduled for discussion. The question of the economic measures to be taken over Palestine had been temporarily shelved.

Azzam Pasha has returned from Amman, where he discussed Transjordan’s participation in the Arab League’s plans. Representatives of the seven Arab countries will discuss tonight “security measures” for Palestine, but Azzah Pasha indicated that the decisions would probably be secret. Over 10,000 Troops on Border The British United Press Beirut correspondent says that Government officials in Beirut stated that about 10,000 Syrian and 1500 Lebanese troops are already massed along the Palestine border. A spokesman said that measures had been taken with “no aggressive purpose but as a precautionary measure in the event of the British actually withdrawing and tin case the Jews start forcibly taking over Palestine.” The correspondent quotes Azzam Pasha as saying that there would be no further immediate big developments. “The next step is up to Britain, the Zionists, and the United Nations.” Jewish Defence Plans The British United Press Jerusalem correspondent says the Haganah, the Jewish army, is reportedly to have

sent reinforcements to at least five strongpoints on the Lebanese and Syrian borders. The Haganah is be-

lieved to have hastily reorganised its defence plans in the light of the Arab League’s decisions yesterday at Beirut.

The Haganah is calling up extra troops, including members of the Jewish Brigade which fought with the Allies in Italy and veterans of the North African campaign. According to the Associated Press correspondent, the Lebanese Premier said: “Our troops have moved to 'the frontier.”

A Syrian source declared that a large contingent of Syrian troops is also massing ' on the north-eastern Palestine borders.

The Lebanese War Minister, Emir Magid Arslam, left for the frontier at noon today. Deputy Shief Munir Takieadine said that troops began moving before dawn, but were only a token force as yet. t Lebanese War Ministry sources said that Fawzi Bey Kaukji, who led the Palestine Arabs’ revolt a decade ago, was mobilising 3000 guerrillas to move on Sunday to the frontier “and possibly beyond.” An Arab spokesman told the United Press correspondent at Beirut: “This time we mean business. If the British abandon the country and the Jews lift a finger we will be ready to enter Palestine to defend Arab rights.” Reuter’s correspondent in Beirut quotes Azzam Pasha, secretarygeneral of the Arab League, as saying that he had already received offers from former British Army and Air Force officers to fight on the Arab side. Sensation at UNO

“Reports from Beirut that Lebanon and Syria are massing troops on the Palestine frontier caused a sensation among United Nations delegates and increased the pressure on the United States and Russia to state whether thev support the partition of the Holy Land,” says the United Press correspondent in New York. “Faris el Khoury, the Syrian representative, said that such troop movements would be the natural way for the Arabs to show that their threats were not bluff; He lacked official confirmation of the Beirut reports, but would not be surprised if they were true, in view of the Jewish threats of violence. He added that the Arabs had to be prepared tor any emergency.” A Jewish Agency spokesman in New York said that the reported troop moves were obviously “propaganda threats,” timed to coincide with the development in the United Nations Assembly of attempts to find a solution of the Palestine problem. “Irresponsible Behaviour”

The British Minister of State (Mr Hector McNeill said: “I would like to find out more about it. I cannot believe that these responsible Governments are permitting such irresponsible behaviour.”

Other British sources in New York expressed the opinion that the Arab countries would be unable to muster major military forces at shorf. notice.

The head of the Jewish Agency’s political department, in a speech at Tel Aviv today called on Palestine Jews to renew their war-time system of mobilisation.