Fierce Battle Under Eyes Of U.N. Mediator

Northern Advocate, 12 August 1948, Page 5

Fierce Battle Under Eyes Of U.N. Mediator

LONDON, Wed. (10 a.m.).—The biggest battle since the truce began raged from midnight to dawn on the outskirts of Jerusalem, right under the eyes of . the United Nations mediator (Count Bernadotte), who spent the night at a house on Mount Scopus, east of Jerusalem, says the Jerusalem correspondent of the Associated Press. An official Jewish source said the Arabs started the attacks, including one from the Arab-occupied Old City, against Jewish positions on Mount Zion.

Count Bernadotte announced today that the Arab leaders accepted his proposal that from 6 a.m. on August 13 neither side in Jerusalem should return fire from the other side.

and he warned both sides that if shelling and mortar fire did not cease it would be necessary to bring the situation to the attention of the Security Council.

The mediator later toured the Latrun area on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and the site of the water pumping station vital to Jerusalem’s water supply.

“I am not joking,” he said. “I want both sides to know that I can be tough.”

Britain has informed Count Bernadotte that medical supplies and tents for Arab refugees in Palestine would be made available immediately from British military supplies in the Middle East.

I-Ie promised that water convoys would be sent to Jerusalem within 24 hours.

He conferred with Jewish military leaders in the area and requested them to evacuate a strategic height overlooking the Ramallah-Latrun road arid to allow 400 refugees to return to their nearby hemes. The Jews agreed unofficially, but protested against having to give up the hill position which they claim they occupied before the truce.

A Foreign Office statement said that stores would be issued to the limit of £IOO,OOO.

Jews burned 28 Arab villagers alive at Eltera, near Haifa, according to a telegram Azzam Pasha, secretary-gen-eral of the Arab League, is reported to have sent to the United Nations Security Council, says Reuters Rhodes correspondent.

Count Bernadotte said yesterday that he had handed letters to the Jewish Military Governor of Jerusalem and to the Arab Legion expressing “great dissatisfaction” with the situation in the Holy City.

The telegram declared that during the present cease-fire, an eye-witness saw Jews saturate the villagers’ clothing with petrol and set them alight.

Sufficient observers were now in Jerusalem, he said, to report incidents

The names of the 14 victims are known.