Call For Cease Fire

Northern Advocate, 16 March 1948, Page 3

Call For Cease Fire

Big 4 On Palestine

NEW YORK, Mon. (12.20 p.m.).— The Big Four today called on Palestinian Arabs and Jews to state by tomorrow whether they would enter into a cease-fire pact. A scheduled meeting of the Security Council was postponed to give the disputing parties time to answer. The Big Four also decided to ask the six Arab countries in the United Nations to agree to cooperate in effecting a truce.

The truce move came after the Arab Higher Committee’s representative (Isa Nakhleh) repeated before a closed meeting of the Big' Four that the committee would not accept the United Nation’s partition plan. Isa Nakhleh said the committee wished to emphasise that the only solution compatible with the ideals of the United Nations’ Charter, and which would guarantee peace and security in Palestine, would be formation of one independent state for the whole of Palestine, which would include adequate safeguards for minorities. CONSULAR CORPS PROTESTS The Consular Corps in Jerusalem condemned and decided to inform their respective governments of “the serious situation preventing normal discharge of their duties, and of breaches of immunity, causing fatalities among members. The corps referred to the “fraudulent use of a consular car" in the bomb outrage at the Jewish Agency. The Jewish defence force, the Hag; anah, and the Jewish terrorist organisation, the Stern Gang, have combined in attacks on Arab positions and communications from Safed in the north to Gaza in the south. HEAVY DEATH ROLL These attacks, combined with the flare-up in Jerusalem, have brought to at least 60 the number known to have been killed in the 24 hours ended last night, sayg the Daily Telegraph’s correspondent. The correspondent says that eye witnesses stated that Stern Gang members who on Saturday night penetrated into the Katamon quarter of Jerusalem masqueraded as a company of British soldiers. They marched in formation with a man posing as a sergeant major and giving orders in English. The police reported that 14 armoured Vehicles carrying Haganah men to the Jewish colony of Gath fought actions against Arabs in villages in the Gaza area. The convoy blew up the town hall and 10 houses in the village of Faluja where street fighting ensued. The convoy, on the return journey, forced a way past roadblocks while Arabs fired from roof-tops and windows.

The Haganah claims to have killed 15 Arabs. Seven -Jews were killed and six wounded.