Alleged truce violation by Jewish forces – Letter from Israel

Letter from the Representative of the Provisional Government of Israel

dated 8 November 1948 addressed to the President of the Security Council

concerning letter from the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (document S/1068)

Sir,

I have the honour to refer to Document S/1068 in which the Secretary-General of the Arab League refers to alleged atrocities committed by Jewish forces in Upper Galilee. Reference to this letter was made at the 377th meeting of the Security Council by Mr. Fuad Ammoun, representative of Lebanon (S.P.V/377/56).

It is obvious that lurid and sensational events, such as those described by the Secretary-General of the Arab League, could not take place without there being some knowledge of where they took place. The Security Council should therefore be informed that no such place as DAWAYMA exists anywhere in any part of Galilee. The Secretary-General of the Arab League, by inventing a record of non-existent events in non-existent places is frivolously using the Security Council as a platform for irresponsible propaganda.

The only locality in Palestinian territory known as DAWAYMA is in the south of the country between Beit Jibrin and Dahariya east of Hebron. The Secretary-General of the Arab league has alleged no atrocities in that locality, which had been completely abandoned by its civilian population before it was occupied by Israeli forces in the operations which followed the Egyptian truce violation on October 14th.

I am instructed to point out that the Secretary-General of the Arab league has more than once despatched to the Security Council atrocity stories relating to territory administered by the Provisional Government of Israel. None of these on investigation has proved to have had the least substance or foundation.

In this connection the Government of Israel desires to point out that the civilian population in all parts of Palestine has suffered deeply from the effects of the war; and that the responsibility for this suffering devolves in the last resort upon those who instigated that war.  The responsibility of the Arab League for this resort to armed force, which has since had many tragic consequences for hosts of innocent people, was clearly confessed by Azzam Pasha himself in his communication to the Security Council, document S/743, dated May 16th, 1948.

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