BLOCKADE PENETRATED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26749, 19 April 1948, Page 5

BLOCKADE PENETRATED

FOOD FOR JERUSALEM

JEWISH CONVOY BREAKS THROUGH

Rec. 10 p.m. JERUSALEM. Apl. 17. Nearly 300 lorries loaded with flour, vegetables, meat and dairy products for Jerusalem’s Jews penetrated, with Haganah protection, the Arab blockade on the route from Tel-Aviv without incident. Jews in three armoured cars attacked an Arab lorry near Beersheba, killing 13 Arabs and wounding two. Russian commanders were leading some Jewish forces in Palestine, said King Abdullah, at Amman to-day. He stated that the Transjordan would actively assist the Palestine Arabs. “ The Palestine situation has become a Russo-Jewish menace to the whole Arab world. I am the hardest man in action, particularly when I smell the odour of Communism,” he said. “ I fear that shiploads of Jews and Russians will enter Haifa, Tel-Aviv, and Jaffa when the British leave. You will have another Spain with AngloSaxons fighting Russians: then will come a third world war.” It is estimated that 10,000 Jewish troops throughout Palestine have taken the offensive to break the Arab stranglehold on road communications, and in a week they have 1 achieved considerable success. The Arabs lost territory, men, and prestige through a series of Jewish night attacks into strategic villages. The Jews won the first phase of a “ battle of the western approaches ” to Jerusalem by driving the Arabs from commanding positions on the main road connecting Jerusalem with the coastal plain. A message' from Beirut says business activity was brought to a standstill while thousands of Arabs demonstrated for immediate aid for Arab fighters in Palestine. A demonstration in Bagdad by 10,000 Arabs urged the Government to take “urgent steps fo save Palestine.” The Associated Press correspondent says Haganah troops, in their drive to open the convoy route from Tel-Aviv. destroyed during the night of April 15 all the main buildings in the Arab village of Saris, eight miles west of Jerusalem. They overcame Arab resistance with mortar and machine-gun fire. Jewish forces now occupy the hills surrounding the village. . . Jews blew up a British ammunition train at Ben Yamina and fired on the troops who went to investigate. Four British soldiers were killed and four seriously wounded. British Army Headquarters reported that the Jews stole 50 tons of ammunition from the train which had six wagons carrying ammunition. Mines exploded under the front part of the train, wrecking three coaches. The Irgun Zvai Leumi admitted that the train escorts killed three and wounded seven of the Jewish attackers. Th Irgun spokesman said that the fight, lasting four hours, took place between the attackers and British reinforcements from Haifa, but . 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.