Palestine question – Withdrawal from neutral area in Jerusalem – Press release

UNITED NATIONS

Department of Public Information

Press and Publications Bureau

Lake Success, New York

Press Release PAL/272

3 September 1948

ARABS AND JEWS CONFER TODAY ON WITHDRAWAL

FROM NEUTRAL AREA IN JERUSALEM

(The following has been received today at UN Headquarters from the Press

Officer with the staff of the UN Mediator for Palestine, Haifa).

Both Jewish and Arab military leaders are scheduled to met with General William Riley, UN representative, at 10.00 GMT, today (3 September) at a church in Jerusalem's no-man's land to discuss final arrangements for the simultaneous withdrawal of all forces from the newly created neutral area around the Red Cross Zone in the Holy City.

The meeting will be aimed at supplementing the decision of the Central Truce Supervision Board to create an extended neutral zone designed to help keep opposing forces further apart, thereby assuring the demilitarization of the Red Cross Area and avoiding friction clashes.

UN observers also conferred on Wednesday with regard to the situation in the rest of Jerusalem where sporadic firing continues and where a United Nations jeep while crossing opposing lines yesterday (2 September) was fired on without casualties, allegedly by an Arab sniper.

As a first result of Wednesday's meeting, Jewish and Arab commanders issued a cease-fire order to their respective forces in Jerusalem effective at noon Thursday, 2 September.  All observers in the Holy city were called out to observer compliance with this latest cease-fire order.

The first shipment of United Nations relief supplies for refugee victims of the Palestine was arrived at Beirut on Wednesday (1 September).  The supplies consist of 30 tons of olive oil which was a gift offered by Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco under the auspices of the French Government which provided additional supplies.

William Saint Aubin, Chief of Red Cross relief operations in Beirut left for Rhodes for talks on the overall relief plans for Palestine refugees with the UN Mediator and Sir Raphael Cilento, Advisor to the Mediator on refugee problems.

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