HAGANAH CLAIMS HEAVY DEFEATS OF ARAB FORCES

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 April 1948, Page 5

HAGANAH CLAIMS HEAVY DEFEATS OF ARAB FORCES

(Rec.. 10.50 a.m.) JERUSALEM, April 5. Haganah forces killed at least 16 Arabs and wounded 20 in an attack on Sarafand, a village on the JerusalemTel Aviv road. The attack was an attempt to lift the blockade of the old city of Jerusalem. Jewish sources claimed that the Arabs suffered a heavy defeat when more than 100 Arabs were beaten off in an attack on Mishmarkaemek, south of Haifa. The Jews claimed 40 Arabs were killed and 60 wounded and that the Jews lost two killed and 100 wounded. Haganah sources said the fighting at Mishmarhaemek raged for 20 hours. The Arabs directed heavy mortar fire into the settlement. Arab sources claimed that they occupied the settlement as a result of the attack in which they used heavy mortars, artillery and armoured cars. Arabs under the command of Fawzi el Kawakji, for the first time used 25pounde'r guns in the assault on the settlement of Mishmarhaemek. The Arabs claimed that Kawakji called on the Jewish settlers to surrender, by leaflets fired from guns, and stated that when the surrender call was rejected the settlement was captuied. The Haganah radio repeated the assertion that the Arabs had been repulsed and added, “the battle has ended.’’