TRUCE IN PALESTINE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26781, 26 May 1948, Page 5

TRUCE IN PALESTINE

Council Extends Deadline UNACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS EXPECTED % New Zealand Press Association—Copyright. NEW YORK, May 24. The Security Council to-night gavg the Arab States an extra 48 hours to decide whether to join the Jews in a Palestine truce or to risk the possibility of strong United Nations action. The council gave the Arabs until 4 p.m. G.M.T. on Wednesday to answer. Egypt and Syria requested the delay in the truce. Mr Andrei Gromyko (Russia) suggested that the Arabs order their armies to cease fighting and then confer. Faris el Khoury (Syria) had earlier reported that the Arab nations were consulting regarding the truce. The Lake Success correspondent of the New York Herald Tribune says indications are that the Arab delay will neither help nor hinder the slim chance of success for the Security Council’s peace plea. Arab diplomats said privately that their agreement to cease fire would probably be made on the condition that the Jews abandoned their project of a Holy Land State. This is the condition which the Jews will not accept. - Reuter reported earlier that it was authoritatively learned at Lake Success that the Arab States would accept the cease-fire order subject to a return to the military and political status quo of May 15. This would involve the disarmament of the Jewish forces, the cessation of Jewish immigration to Palestine, and non-recognition of Israel. It is believed that the United States delegates will urge the rejection of the Arabs’ conditions.

An announcement in Bagdad said the Arab armies would continue the fighting in Palestine and would accept only the unconditional surrender of the Jewish forces. No notice would be taken of the United Nations request for a cease fire. The Arab decision to ignore the cease fire was made at a conference of Arab military chiefs and Fawji el Kawakji, the C.I.C. of the Arab liberation army, in Damascus, says Reuter’s Baghdad correspondent. The Arabs regard the United Nations request for a cease fire as an attempt to delay the Arab armies and give the Jewish forces time to regroup and receive foreign military aid. More Arab forces are moving up to the Palestine frontier. Military observers in Baghdad regard the linkup of Egyptian and Transjordan armies outside Jerusalem as the turning point in the Palestine fighting, and expect them to push towards Tel-Aviv. Appeal from America

In Washington the State Depart? ment disclosed that the United States had appealed directly to the seven Arab nations during the week-end, to comply with the cease-fire appeal. The Ufiited States representatives in Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi-Arabia, Yemen, and Transjordan were in-

structed to inform their Governments that the United States was “ gravelydisturbed at the course of events in Palestine, and hoped that the Arab Governments would co-operate with the United Nations cease-fire resolution.” Egyptian forces stormed and captured strong Zionist defences around Deir Suneid. eight miles of Gaza, according to an Egyptian communique issued in Cairo. It adds that the enemy was overwhelmed after a nine-hour battle, losing about 500 dead. The Egyptian losses were insignicant. Fighting for the Notre Dame Hospice tn Jerusalem still continued as the sero hour for the United Nations truce passed. The first Arab attack forced the Jews from room after room of the nospice, but a Jewish counter-attack expelled the Arabs. The Arabs returned. firing sten guns through the windows and expelled the Jews. They

too, soon returned, tossing hand grenades through the windows. During one period of the fighting groups of Arabs and Jews chased one another along the narrow stone corridors of the building’s three floors. The hospice is at present in Jewish hands, but the Jews’ ammunition is running low. Close-quarter Fighting Arab Legion troops are to-day blasting their way yard by yard through the Old City’s catacombs, ferreting out the remaining' 1500 Jews, of whom 600 are fighting men. The Arabs are closing m on Barclay’s Bank against heavy Jewish fire; Meanwhile shops are open in the city’s narrow lanes and alleys, and children play as if the war were miles away. Peasants just outside the city are gathering barley in the fields. ■