Jewish and Arab Guards To Replace British Army In Jaffa-Tel-Aviv Area

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26639, 9 December 1947, Page 5

Jewish and Arab Guards To Replace British Army In Jaffa-Tel-Aviv Area

New Zealand Press Association —Reuter —Copyright. Rec. 9 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 8. The British Army and police are to withdraw from six important Arab and Jewish areas in Palestine in the coming week, including the Jaffa-Tel-Aviv front, says the Jerusalem correspondent of the Daily Express. A Jewish civic guard will replace the British forces in the 50 square miles of coastal plain, including the Jewish show city of Tel-Aviv, and the Rematagan and Petach-Tikvah areas, with total populations of 25,000 Jews. An Arab civic guard, which the British will arm, will control the all-Arab port area close to Tel-Aviv, also the area around Gaza, in the south. Local mayors will control the Arabs. Arabs and Jews in the week-end evacuations have partitioned theii country more effectively than the United Nations has done it, but they have split themselves into two sharply-divided and hostile sides, which may bring the country to the verge of civil war, says the Jerusalem correspondent of the Daily Mail. The Arabs, disobeying their leaders’ orders to “ cool down until you get the sign,” continued their attacks during the week-end against the Jews. Jewish sources told the correspondent that the attacks will be “ answered.”

The High Commissioner, Sir Alan Cunningham, yesterday separately interviewed the Jewish leader, Mr David Ben-gurion and the Arab Higher Committee secretary, Dr. Khalidi, and reminded them that the British retained full responsibility in Palestine and would carry it out. The Jews have protested to the British Administration that the Arabs were being favoured because it had been decided to issue arms to the Arab Civic Guard in some parts of Jerusalem whereas the Jews had been told to supply their own arms. The Jerusalem correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says that Sir Alan Cunningham, in the interview with Mr Ben-gurion, refused to recognise the Haganah as militia. He told Mr Ben-gurion that arms would be seized from Jews carrying them. Nearly all the Prime Ministers of the seven Arab nations have already arrived in Cairo for the meeting of the Arab League Council today, at which the final decisions will be taken on how to combat the partition. Rifles were withdrawn from the Arab temporary and additional constables in Samaria following a number of desertions with arms. The price of arms and ammunition since the United Nations decision to partition Palestine has risen 50 per c.ent on the Arab market. A Lee Enfield .303 rifle with 200 rounds of ammunition is worth £6O. British guards have been substituted for Arabs on all British military camps and installations in Samaria and temporary Arab police have now been issued only with cudgels. The Daily Express correspondent says that American oil experts who have been working on a new pipe line from Iraq to Palestine, flew to Haifa after Arabs attacked their camp, near Mafrak, fh the Transjordan desert. Some British workmen remained. The Americans complained that, they had lost clothes and souvenirs, and that the Arabs had torn up their wives’ photographs and caused £25,000 damage to the camp.