BREAKS UP ARABS’ BLOCKADES

Grey River Argus, 19 April 1948, Page 5

BREAKS UP ARABS’ BLOCKADES

Jews’ Haul of Ammunition from British Train After a Fight (Rec. 10.20) JERUSALEM, April 17. Nearly three hundred lorries, loaded with flour, vegetables, meat and dairy products for Jerusalem’s Jews, have penetrated, with Haganah forces’ protection, the Arab blockade of the route from Tel Aviv without incident. Haganah troops, to open the con'yoy route, destroyed during Friday night all the main bjiildings in the Arab village of Saris, eight miles west of Jerusalem. They overcame the Arab resistance with mortar and machine-gun fire. Jewish forces now occupy the hills surrounding the villages. Jews, in three armoured cars, attacked an Arab lorry at Beersheba. They killed thirteen Arabs and wounded two. It is estimated that 10,000 Jewish troops in the past week have throughout Palestine taken the offensive to break an Arab stranglehold on road communications and have achieved considerable success. Arabs have lost territory, men, and prestige through a series of Jewish night attacks into strategic villages. Jews have won the first phase of the ü ßattle of the Western Approaches” to Jerusalem by driving the Arabs from commanding positions on the main road connecting- Jerusalem with the coastal plain.

Jews blew up a British ammunition train at Benyamina. They fired on British troops who went to investigate. Four British soldiers were killed and four were seriously wounded. The British Army headquarters have reported tha tthe Jews stole fifty tons of ammunition from the tram, which had on it six wagons carrying ammunition. Mines were exploded under the front, part of the train, wrecking three of the coaches.

The Jewish Irgun Zvai Leumi have admitted that the train’s escorts killed three and wounded seven of the Jewish attackers.

An Irgun spokesman said that the fight lasting for four hours took place between the attackers and British reinforcements who came from Haifa. He claimed that the Jews held the British off until the material was secured. The spokesman declared that some of the captured British troops helped to load arms from the train on to trucks. PLANES FOR JEWS CAUGHT It is announced at Athens that three Britons and a Palestian are among eleven airmen held on the Island of Rhodes, where four aircraft landed short of petrol. One has an Australian flag painted on the tail and nose. The pilots said that they were delivering the aeroplanes to Australian pilots in Singapore for spraying crops. It was believed that the aeroplanes were intended for the Jewish Air Force in Palestine. The aeroplanes were detained when the Britisn Consul declined ti give the Greek airport authorities a personal guarantee for the aircraft. The Greek Foreign Office said that the aircraft would be detained until the position was clarified. OUTSIDE ARABS WANT TO HELP Business activity was brought to a standstill in Beirut while thousands of Arabs demonstrated for immediate aid for the Arab fighters in Palestine. Thousands of Arabs also demonstrated in Bagdad and urged the Government of Iraqi to take ‘‘urgent steps to save Palestine.” Jewish Threat Dr. Cliaim Weizmann, while the United Nations General Assembly was appealing for a cease lire in Palestine, is now reported to have warned Mr Warren _Austin, who is the chief United States delegate to the United Nations, that the Jews would extend their warfare to full scale if a separate Jewish State were not established. "No matter what the United States tries to do to block a Jewish State, the Jews will fight,” he declared.

U.N.O. Truce Call Opposed by Soviet (Rec. 9.50) NEW YORK, April 17 The United Nations Security Council to-day passed a resolution calling on Jews and Arabs to cease fire in Palestine, and also to stop any political activity which might the rights of either party. Nine nations voted in favour of the leso - tion. It requests all Governments to help in implementing these measures. Russia, however, rejected, as onesided, the terms of the proposed truce. M. Gromyko (Soviet) told the supreme council that the proposal was not satisfactory to the Soviet Union. He then submitted a list of amendments which upheld many of tne objections which have been forward previously by the Jewisn Agency. M. Gromyko demanded that a section be added ordering an immediate withdrawal from Palestine ot the Arabs’ armed bands. He also said that the references of the resolution barring Jewish immigrations in Palestine, are halting work on tne partition project, would have to oe deleted. U.S.A. COMPROMISES Mr Warren Austin (United States) said that he was prepared to accept some of the Jewish Agency’s drafting changes so as to make it clear that the resolution did not intend to restrict Jewish peaceful immigration to Palestine.

ARABS STATE CONDITIONS FOR TRUCE Hamal Husseini, representing the Arab High Committee, said that if the supreme council called on the Arabs for a truce, they would respond willingly; but the Arabs could not sit still while their rights were being attacked. No truce, he said, would be effective unless the Jewish terrorist gangs were expelled from Palestine; also unless .there is an accepted basis for discussing the settlement of the controversy, such basis to be _ one of democratic principles, and with the right of self determination; and also unless provision is made for maintaining the blockade of the Palestine sea coast to prevent the illegal entry of Jews into the country.