UN Palestine Commission – Arab attack on medical convoy – Letter from United Kingdom

22 April 1948

UNITED NATIONS PALESTINE COMMISSION

Communication Received From the United Kingdom

Delegation Regarding Arab Attack Medical Convoy

The following communications concerning the Arab Attack on a Medical Convoy, was received from Mr. Fletcher-Cooke of the United Kingdom Delegation.

UNITED KINGDOM DELEGATION TO UNITED NATIONS

Empire State Building, New York 1, N.Y.

21st April, 1948.

My dear Bunche

In your letter of the 21st April, you enclosed a copy of a cable from the President of the Jewish Community Council, Jerusalem, relating to the Arab attack on a convoy of vehicles conveying doctors and nurses and other medical personnel to Hadassah Hospital and academic staff to the University on Mount Scopus.

2. References to this attack will be found in paragraph 6 of the Incident Report for April 12th and 13th and in paragraph 3 of the Incident Report for April 14th.

3. Subsequent information received from Jerusalem indicates that as a result of this incident, Hadassah Hospital will now be evacuated and further military assistance has been sought for this.

4. In view of the statement in the third sentence of the telegram, namely, that “attack took place within 100 yards of British Army Post continuing for six hours under the very eyes of British Military personnel who failed the effective steps intervene and actually prevented Haganah Forces from coming rescue”, I would invite the Commission’s attention to the statement in paragraph 6 of the Incident Report for April 12th and 13th that “Security Forces went to the scene…Security forces intervened and during shooting one British Other Rank was killed and two British Other Ranks were wounded, a Deputy Superintendent of Police was seriously wounded, seven Jews were rescued from abandoned convoy vehicles”. I would also point out that the corrected figures in paragraph 3 of the Incident Report for 14th April show that two British soldiers were killed, two wounded and one Jewish police officer were wounded.

5. If the Commission require any further information regarding this incident, I will telegraph to Jerusalem.

Yours sincerely,

John Fletcher-Cooke (signed)

Dr. Ralph J. Bunche,

Principal Secretary to the United Nations

Commission on Palestine,

United Nations, Lake Success

UNITED NATIONS PALESTINE COMMISSION

Draft of Letter to be sent to United Kingdom

Delegation in Connection with Release from

Bearer Bonds for Certain Purposes in Tel Aviv

and Haifa Municipalities (see UK/76)

DRAFT

April 1948

My dear Fletcher-Cooke,

With reference to your confidential letter of 22nd March concerning releases from Bearer Bond balances for certain purposes in the Tel Aviv and Haifa Municipalities, I may inform you that the Commission at its fifty-ninth and sixty-eighth meetings on 31st March and 19th April considered the decision s of the Palestine Government thus brought to its attention.

I am directed to inform you that it is the view of the Commission that it should have been consulted in both cases before final decisions had been taken by the Government of Palestine, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Section E of Part I of the Resolution of the General Assembly of 29 November. Moreover, the Commission reserves its position with regard to the matter of the Haifa Harbour Estate, since Haifa is in the territory of the proposed Jewish State.

I am enclosing for your April 1948information a copy of a letter addressed to the Commission by the Jewish Agency which sets forth the views of the Jewish Agency on these decisions.

Sincerely yours,

Ralph J. Bunche

Principal Secretary

Mr. J. Fletcher-Cooke,

Permanent United Kingdom Delegation

to the United Nations,

61st Floor,

350 Fifth Avenue,

New York 1, N.Y.