LATE NEWS Syrian Troops Arrive At Jewish Settlement

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 October 1947, Page 5

LATE NEWS Syrian Troops Arrive At Jewish Settlement

(Rec. 3.5 p.m.)

LONDON, October 12.

The Syrian troops arrived at dusk at the Jewish settlement of Degania B, north of the Sea of Galilee, according to a message received from the settlement of Kefar Giladi on the Syrian-Pal-estinian border.

Haganah headquarters at Tel Aviv stated that they had just heard the news, but did not consider it important to security. These manoeuvres at this time and place constituted a continuation of the war of nerves started from Beirut. 1

The Daily Telegraph’s Cairo correspondent says the probable line-up of the Arab armies in readiness for the British evacuation would be. firstly, the Lebanese and Syrian forces from the coastal plain to the Sea of Galilee; secondly, the Transjordan Army dominating the Jordan valley by the Allenby bridge; and thirdly, the Saudi Arabian forces along the southern frontiers. The Iraqi Army would be the central reserve, while the Iraqi Air Force is believed to be ready to co-operate from airfields in the Transjordan. The Jewish settlement of Degania B is situated on the eastern side of the river Jordan and south of the Sea of Galilee. It is one of the oldest Jewish settlements. Cabinet this week will consider the situation created by the United States decision to support the partition of Palestine, says the Daily Telegraph’s political correspondent. The Ministers are willing to await the reactions to the United Nations ultimate decision, and are .unlikely to fix a date for the withdrawal from Palestine for some weeks.

It is generally expected in London that the troops will be withdrawn early in 1948, unless the United Nations agree to contribute men and money and arrange for the maintenance of order. . Then Britain will do her fair share of governing Palestine, but not more. Mr W. N. Gray (Inspector-General of Police) assured several thousand Arab and Jewish police at a parade today that Britain was determined to leave Palestine, but their interests would be taken care of. They would be given an opportunity to serve in other territories. A bomb, believed to have been thrown by Arab terrorists as a protest against Poland’s support for partition, exploded near the Polish Consulate, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The building was damaged, but there were no casualties. In another incident a handgrenade was thrown at an armoured police-car. REFUGEES KILLED (Rec. 3.10 p.m.) NEW DELHI, October 12, Thirty-two were killed and 73 injured when a refugee train from India to Pakistan collided- with a goods train near Karnal on Friday night.