ARABS PREPARE TO FIGHT

Northern Advocate, 1 September 1947, Page 5

ARABS PREPARE TO FIGHT

The director-general of the Arab Office in London (Musa Bey Alami), said the Uno Commission’s recommendations for Palestine were utterly unacceptable to the Arabs. “It is an almost 100 per cent proZionist solution,” he said. “Partition would plunge the Middle East into a state of war.

“The Arabs reject the recommendations, and will reject any decision the United Nations may take on the commission’s basis.” The News of the World’s correspondent in Jerusalem says an Arab army is training in the Palestine hills.

It is still small, numbering possibly 20,000 men, but it will be the core of a competent army of disclipined soldiers. This army has sprung up since the possibility arose that the United Nations might impose partition or some other plan not giving Palestine to Arabs.

The Palestine Arabs, led by the Grand Mufti (Haj Amin el Husseini) are determined to fight, adds the correspondent. The Middle East flows with military equipment, either sold legitimately or illegally, or looted from many desert depots. The Arab Army has vast quantities of arms and ammunition besides some modern signalling apparatus, first class maps and some motor transport. The Arabs will rely for heavier arms on their allies 'especially Syria. They say they have already laid out landing strips in remote areas.

Dr Hussein Khalidid, secretary of the Arab Higher Executive, said: “Today our organisation is not as good as the British or Jewish, but with our unlimited manpower and our neighbours’ support we will win in the end.”