ARABS SHELL JERUSALEM

Chronicle (Levin), 12 April 1948, Page 5

ARABS SHELL JERUSALEM

Reeeived Sunday, 7 a.m. . JERUSALEM, April 10. Arab gunners tonight fired new Montefiore and Beth ish spburbs of Givat Shaul, the x salvo of shells into the JewHakarem in western Jerusalem. The deaths of three Jews are so far reported. This attack brought the Holy City 1 in 1 — 1 " ' '

Under. sbeil nre ior tne -nrsr time in history-. . • Jewish- Arab battles 011 flie western approackes of Jerusalem cut all eommunic^fions between the city and tlie coaSf. Arab field gims bomb.&rclecl two Jewish seftlements five nfiles west of Jerusalem fiankfiig fhe\qtraU egically placed Arab villagd. of CasteL The Jewish offensive againstJ Arab villages which has been used: to blocka.de the suppl'y routfe from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, appears to have lost mementum. Arabs and Jews are both bringing tip reinforcements .as full scale warfare with artillery, aerial bomlfing and machinegunning, enters the seeond week. Both sides have agreed that the casualties number hundreds. The British Army took over the Christian village of Ain Karem five miles southwest of Jerusalem* to prevent the ancient -Crusadcrs' fortress from f alling into the hands of either side. Three British soldiers were killed and six wounded wlien twd lorry loads of troops rau into_ an Arab barrage directed against Jewish traffic on the western approaches to Jerusalem. Agency correspondents report that Arabs launched a predawn artillery counterattack on Castel village 011 Mount Castel and latef j claimed to have thrown out IJagannah forces whicli occupied it on Friday. The village was originally an Arab strongpoint dominating the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv supply route. It has ehanged | hands thrice in the past week's fighting. The arrival of Iraqi irregulars whom the Arab commandeT in Northern Palestine sent as reinforcements, is believed to have j enabled the Arabs suecessfully to | storm .the fortress again. i The Mount Castel fighting is reaching baftle proportions and thrusting the possibility of_ an Arab-Jew truce ever farther into the bnckground.