1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War (82 page)

151. American Zionist Emergency Council, "Memorandum: Is There Any Substance to Arab Threats of a 'Break with the West'?" z6 September 1947, CZA F39-74.

152. J. L[inton], "Short Note on a Talk over Lunch with Mr. Trafford Smith, Monday, November 24th, 1947," 24 November 1947, CZA Sz5-7567; Freundlich, From Destruction to Resurrection, 197-

153. T[uvia] A[razi] to E[lias] S[asson], 7 December 1948, CZA S25-9oz6.

154. Epstein to members of JAE, 29 November 1947, Political Documents of the JewishAgency, 2:894-896.

155. Comay to Gering, 3 December 1947-

156. Rafael to Sasson, 8 December 1947; Comay to Gering, 3 December 1947.

157. Cohen, Palestine and Great Powers, 298 -299.

158. The thirty-three "ayes" were: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Liberia, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Soviet Union, Sweden, Ukraine, the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and White Russia. Voting "nay" were Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen. Argentina, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia abstained.

159. Garcia Granados, Birth ofIsrael, 268.

,6o. UK delegation to UN to FO, 29 November 1947 (no. 3566), PRO FO 3716189o.

161. Khalidi, Before Their Diaspora, 305.

,6z. Yolande Harmer, untitled memorandum of conversation with 'Abd al-Hadi, 12 December 1947, CZA Sz5-4o15a. 'Abd al-Hadi's description of the shareout is not accurate. More than half of the territory earmarked for Jewish statehood, the Negev, was desert, whereas the bulk of the Arab territory-central Galilee, Samaria, and Judea-was fertile, if hilly and rocky.

163. Khalidi, Before Their Diaspora, 305 - 306.

164. Unsigned, "Partition in Palestine and the Declaration of a Jihad," undated, PRO FO 371-61580.

165. [NAME TK] Roberts, "Anglo-American Conversations," 18 December 1947, PRO FO 371-61583.

166. Freundlich, From Destruction to Resurrection, 199.

167. Cohen, Palestine and Great Powers, 29z. But Cohen added, "The Jews themselves tended to overestimate the depth of Western remorse, or conscience" (293).

168. Avraham Stern to president of Italy, 5 December 1947, CZA Sz5-9669. Titus was the roman general, later emperor, who defeated the Jewish rebellion of 66 - 73 CE and destroyed Jerusalem and Jewish sovereignty. The arch, built to honor his triumph, depicts Jews being hauled to Rome as slaves.

169. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 38.

170. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 42; Mayer, "Egypt's 1948 Invasion of Palestine," 21.

171. Sela, "Palestinian Arabs in the 1948 War," 133.

172. Shertok, protocol of meeting of US Section, JAE, 13 October 1947, CZA Z52372-

173. See Doran, Pan-Arabism before Nasser, 94-127, for a discussion of the functioning of the blocs.

174. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 49-50.

175. Tripp, "Iraq and the 1948 War," 131.

176. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 49-52.

177- Pirie-Gordon, Amman, to FO, 24 September 1947, PRO FO 371-61529; Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 5o. This provision was to prove crucial in facilitating the mass exodus that resulted in the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem. The Arab states' expectation of a massive flight of inhabitants from Palestine was based on the experience of 1936 -1939, when tens of thousands of Palestinians fled to Lebanon, Syria, and Transjordan during the Arab Revolt. The League's Political Committee reaffirmed this provision at its meeting in Damascus on ii - 15 May 1948, adding the proviso that able-bodied males, however, "would not be accepted by the Arab states" and that those of them who had already reached Arab states "would be sent back to Palestine" (Behind the Screen, 62).

178. Campbell to Jerusalem, z5 May 1946, PRO CO 537-1756.

179. Busk, Baghdad, to FO, 31 December 1947, PRO FO 371-68364.

,8o. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 66-68.

181. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 54.

182. Cohen, Palestine and Great Powers, 319-320.

183. Doran, Pan Arabism before Nasser, 118 -119.

184. Gelber, Independence versus Nakba, 33 - 34; Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 55 - 56.

185. Sela, "Palestinian Arabs in the 1948 War," 149.

186. Gelber, Independence versus Nakba, 33•

187. Pappe, Making ofArab-Israeli Conflict, 72; Sela, "Palestinian Arabs in the 1948 War," 149-150.

188. Kimche and Kimche, Both Sides of the Hill, 6o; Tripp, "Iraq and the 1948 War," 130-133.

189. Doran, Pan-Arabism before Nasser, 113.

190. Busk, Baghdad, to FO, iz September 1947, quoting what he was told by the Iraqi prime minister.

191. Unsigned, "Memorandum on the Situation of the Jews in Iraq," undated but c. October 1949, with attached letter Victor Bernstein to Hector McNeil, 28 October 1949, PRO FO 371-75183.

192. Campbell to FO, 2, 3 December 1947, PRO FO 371-62994. For Beirut, see Houstoun Boswall to FO, 3, 12 December 1947, PRO FO 371-61743.

193. Campbell to FO, 4 December 1947, PRO FO 371-62994.

194. Campbell to FO, 5 December 1947, PRO FO 371-62994.

195. C. A. F. Dundas to FO, i December 1947, PRO FO 371-62184.

196. Dundas to Bevin, 3 December 1947, PRO FO 371-62184.

197. British Legation, Damascus, to Burrows, z December 1947, and Dundas to FO, 2 December 1947, both in PRO FO 371-62184.

198. "Translation of a Leading Article in `Mahar' by Sheikh Mustafa Seba'i (the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood)-No. 323 00 -12-47," PRO FO 371-62184.

199. E. Tuvia, "The Disaster of the Jews of Aden," 13 December 1947, CZA F39-76.

zoo. Elie Eliachar to Herbert Samuel, 31 January 1948, PRO FO 371-68366.

201. Unsigned, "What Happened in Aleppo on 30.11.47," undated, CZA S25-5288, which refers to dead and injured. Dundas, Damascus, to FO, 2 December 1947, PRO FO 371-62184, says there were "no casualties."

2o2. Eliachar to Samuel, 31 January 1948.

203. Dundas to FO, 2 December 1947, PRO FO 371-62184;; Hahn, Caught in the Middle East, 41.

2o4. Campbell to FO, 2, 6 December 1947, PRO FO 371-62994.

205. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 71-72.

zo6. Busk, Baghdad, to FO, 14 December 1947, PRO FO 371-61583.

207. BMEO, Cairo, to FO, ii December 1947, PRO FO 371-61580.

zo8. Campbell to FO, 8 December 1947, PRO FO 371-61580. The Syrian leaders told British diplomats similar things (see Dundas to FO, 5 December 1947 [no. 544], PRO FO 371-61580).

zo9. Mattar, Mufti of Jerusalem, 125 -126.

21o. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 55 -56; Campbell to FO, 18 December 1947, PRO FO 371-61893.

211. F.A. and U.N. Department to Canada, etc., io January 1948, repeating telegram of 20 December 1947, PRO FO 371-61893.

212. G.J.C.C. Jenkins, "Conference of Arab Prime Ministers-December 1947," 30 December 1947, PRO FO 371-68365.

213. Burrows, untitled minute, 23 December 1947, PRO FO 371-61893.

214. Bandman, "Crystallization," 2:611. In fact, the quantities of equipment and vehicles shipped out of Palestine by 30 June 1948, the date of the actual completion ofthe military withdrawal, were even greater (see "Crystallization," 2:637)-

215. Louis, British Empire in the Middle East, 467.

216. Bandinan, "Crystallization," 2:591.

217- Chiefs of staff committee, "Palestine-Implications of Withdrawal," 27 October 1947, PRO FO 371-61796.

218. "Cabinet Meeting, 4th December 1947," PRO CAB 128/10; foreign and colonial secretaries, "Palestine," 3 December 1947, PRO CAB 129/22.

21g. FO to UK delegation to UN, 5 December 1947, PRO FO 371-618go.

220. Eytan to Shertok, 4 March 1948, ISA FM 125/16.

221. Eytan, "Minutes of an Interview with the United Nations Secretariat Friday, March 5th, 1948," ISA FM 125/16.

CHAPTER 3. THE FIRST STAGE OF THE CIVIL WAR, NOVEMBER 1947-MARCH 1948

i. Milstein, History of the War of Independence, 2:62.

2. Milstein, History of the War oflndependence, 2:22, 24-z5.

3. Collins and Lapierre, Jerusalem, 40-41.

4. Entry for 3o December 1947, Yosef Nahmani Diary, Hashomer Archive.

5. Collins and Lapierre, Jerusalem, 43.

6. Tiroshi-Avshalom, "The Attack on the Buses near Petah Tikva on 30.11," 3 December 1947, IDFA481/49//62.

7. Ibrahim to Palmah GS, "Report on Patrol in Jaffa on 6-7.12.47," 7 December 1947, HA 73/98; HIS, "HIS Information," 3o November 1948, IDFA goo/ 5z//58.

8. Tiroshi, "The Murder of 5 Shubaki Members near Ra anana," 20 November 1947, HA 105/358.

9. Ada Ushpiz, "Yaldei Ha'ekdahim shel Halehi," Haaretz, 5 May 1995.

10. Jerusalem Haganah, "To the Members in the Bases," 3 December 1947, CZA S25-921o; E. L., "Tuviel, 6.12.47," 7 December 1947, CZA S25-4o15 aleph.

i1. Milstein, History of the War of Independence, 2:34-39.

12. Hapoel Ha`aravi, "Conversation with Hikmat al-Taji al-Faruqi," 2 February 1948, CZA S25-3569.

13. Bandman, When Will Britain Withdraw from Jerusalem? 93, n. 178, quoting chief of staff for commander-in-chief Middle East, II November 1947.

14. FO to UK delegation to UN, 5 December 1947, PRO FO 371-61890.

15. "Off-the-Record Background Press Conference with Sir Alan Cunningham," Jerusalem, 3o December 1947, CZA S25-9215.

16. Bandman, "Crystallization," 2:633.

17. David Ben-Gurion, protocol of meeting of JAE, 16 November 1947, CZA 45/I

18. For a list of Arabs arrested and disarmed and Jews arrested and disarmed, see Alan Cunningham to secretary of state for colonies, 24 December 1947, PRO FO 3721-61798.

i9. Unsigned, "Initial Report on the I illing of the 4," 13 February 1948, CZA Sz54049; Jewish Agency, "Memorandum on British Policy in Palestine since the Adoption of the General Assembly's Palestine Resolution with Particular Reference to Security," 21 February 1948, CZA F39-58o, 15.

20. Moshe Shertok to Karel Lisicky, 2 March 1948, CZA S25-5354.

21. Untitled minute, 22 December 1947, PRO FO 371-61583.

22. Indeed, one historian (Cohen, Palestine and Great Powers, 307) maintains that the Yishuv had a 1.5-to-1 edge over the Palestinians in this category.

23. Arab Department, HIS, "The Reaction of the Arab Public to the Internal Arab Terrorism (Summary for the Period 1.11.46-20.4.47)," 16 May 1947, HA 105/ 102. Among the prominent assassinations during this period are: Fawzi Darwish Husseini, who was killed by Hussein gunmen on 23 November 1946; George Anton, killed on 7 February 1947; and Farid Faldlr al-Din, killed on 24 March 1947-

24. Unsigned, "The Arab Institutions in Jerusalem Today: Organization and Leadership," 28 January 1948, IDFA 500/48//6o.

25. Mordechai Abir, "The Local Arab Factor in the War of Independence," 1957/58, IDFA 1046/70//185; unsigned, "The Arab Institutions in Jerusalem Today: Organization and Leadership," z8 January 1948, IDFA 5oo/48//6o.

26. Abba Hillel Silver, protocol of meeting of US Section, JAE, 11 March 1948, CZA Z5-2381.

27. Meir, My Life, 220-223.

28. G.J.C.C. Jenkins, "Conference of Arab Prime Ministers-December 1947," 30 December 1947, PRO FO 371-68365.

29. "Extract from: Monthly Political Intelligence Report Tripolitania," May 1948; E. C. S. Reid to I. W. Bell, 15 June 1948; and C. in C. MELF to War Office, 29 June 1948, all in PRO FO 371-69426A.

30. "Al-Musawar, 26.3.48 (translation)," 4 April 1948, CZA S25-8996.

31. Levenberg, Military Preparations ofArab Community in Palestine, 176-177-

32. Silver, protocol of meeting of US Section, JAE, 11 March 1948.

33. There are numerous references to British volunteers, often identified by name, in Haganah intelligence reports. One intercepted Arab letter, from Yusra Salah, Nablus, to Aida Oudi, Ramallah, from 14 April 1948 (CZA S25-92o9), stated: "What surprises me is the British volunteers in the Arab army. Nablus is frill of them. One of the nurses told me that a few of them are lying wounded in the hospital.... One day in the street I saw a group of these Britons. They looked cute in the hatter and aakal they were wearing. Why do you think they chose to serve in the Arab army? Was it because of hatred of the Jews? We also have among us some German soldiers in addition to the Yugoslavs." An intercepted letter from a British policeman, Gregory Kimston, serving in Jenin, to the British vice consul in Damascus, Peter Leslie, dated 13 April 1948, speaks of a group of British deserters in Arab ranks. "They receive PL4o per month with full board, free beer, and two packs of cigarettes a day" (CZA Sz5-9209)•

34. Unsigned, "Muslim Fascists from Yugoslavia among the Arab Gangs in the Country," 13 February 1948, and "Proposals for Action Concerning the Europeans with the Gangs and Arab Armies," 11 June 1948, both in CZA S25-3991

35. oiioi to HIS-AD, 5 January 1948, HA 105/37, names some of the Germans "serving in Haj Amin al-Husseini's HQ" in Nablus ("Adolf Schwabe," "Albert Grossman," "Rudolf Hoffman," etc.).

36. Milton M. Rubenfeld to JA, 8 December 1947, CZA S25-8172.

37. Markovizky, "Foreign Volunteers in the War of Independence," 1:539-550. Markovizky, Fighting Ember, 173 -174--

38. Milstein, History of the War of Independence, 1:311.

39• STH, 3, pt. 2:1322.

40. Milstein, History of the War of Independence, 1:362.

41. Messer, Hagana's Operations Plans, 109-124-

42. Levenberg, Military Preparations ofArab Community in Palestine, 127, 134.

43. Unsigned (possibly Political Department, JA), "Report on the `Najjada,"' undated (probably from 1946), CZA S25-9o66.

44. Porath, Palestinian Arab National Movement, 76; Levenberg, Military Preparations ofArab Community in Palestine, 137-