BERNADOTTE SENDS PEACE SUGGESTIONS TO JEWS AND ARABS

Wanganui Chronicle, 29 June 1948, Page 5

BERNADOTTE SENDS PEACE SUGGESTIONS TO JEWS AND ARABS

Reed. 8.10 p.m. London. June 28 The United Nations Palestine mediator, Count Bernadotte, announced that he had completed his peace suggestions for Palestine and was sending them to the Jewish and Arab leaders, says the British United Press correspondent at Rhodes. Bernadotte said the Arabs and Jews would have the right to make counter suggestions. He had asked both parties not to publicise their suggestions until they had communicated their impressions to him. The Arab Legion refused to allow any more food convoys to pass through the Arab blockade at Latrun, on the Tel-Aviv-Jercsalem Road, says the British United Press correspondent at Jerusalem. The ground for the refusal is that the Jews have already stored enough food in Jerusalem. The Jewish authorities declared that 4200 calories daily were needed by the Jews in Jerusalem, but the Truce Commission replied that 2800 calories were sufficient. United Nations truce observers ordered the closing for two days of the Jerusalem-Tel-Aviv Road while observers cheek the statement which the Israeli Government submitted on the food needs of Jews in Jerusalem. Lieut. General MacMillan, commander of the British forces in Palestine, said that the British Army casualties since June 1, 1947, totalled 593—13 officers killed and 37 wounded, and 161 other ranks killed and 382 wounded. He also said that since the end of the mandate 12,350 troops had been evacuated leaving 4800. All armoured vehicles and tanks which were not considered to be worth removing had been blown up. A large quantity of small arms had been dumped in Haifa Bay. Unofficial reports say that the British evacuation will be completed by June 30. The Arabs have told Britain that they would regard the withdrawal of the British forces from Haifa before August 1 as a breach of the ceasefire agreement in Palestine, says Reuter’s Nicosia correspondent. (The Secretary for War announced in the House of Commons last week that, the withdrawal of the British troops from Palestine would be completed before July 31). The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Azzam Pasha, said that the league expected to receive Count. Bernadotte's proposals for a Palestine settlement tomorrow, and that the league’s political committee would discuss them on June 29. THREAT TO THE TRUCE Egyptian forces launched a new attack against the Jewish settlement of Kear Darom, in Negev, says the British United Press correspondent at Tel-Aviv. Count. Bernadotte has been informed of the new development, which threatens to shalter the truce. In Cairo, the Prime Minister, Nokrashy Pasha, denied that Egyptian troops were attacking Kear Darom. An Associated Press report from Haifa says the Jews claim that they inflicted 100 Arab casualties and knocked out three Arab armoured vehicles in recapturing the Arab village of El Birwa, seven miles east of Acre. The Jews admit 24 casualties. The Israeli Government said United Nations observers were being withdrawn from the territory under Egyptian control following Egyptian breaches of the Palestine Iruce.