UN Palestine Commission – Daily News Summary

UNITED NATIONS PALESTINE COMMISSION

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY 13

11 February 1948

Sources: (New York Times and New York Herald Tribune)

Jerusalem Feb. 10 – In their first organized operation in Jerusalem, Arabs today attacked and occupied a large part of the Montefiore (Yemin Moshe) Jewish quarter of Jerusalem in the course of a five-hour battle before British troops forced them to retire. Casualties in the engagement were 1 Jew, 7 Arabs and 1 British soldier killed, 6 Jews, 18 Arabs and 1 British soldier wounded.

In a village-South of Haifa, Jews killed 7 Arabs.

A complete road curfew in the Safad area, through which Arab volunteers have been entering Palestine, was announced by the British Army (N.Y. Times).

Cairo, Feb. 10 – The political committee or the Arab league was reported to have rejected a request from the former Mufti that he be allowed to set up a provisional Arab government for Palestine.

Rather than set up a government – a move that might be interpreted as an implied acceptance of partition – the committee was reported considering establishment of some kind of administrative organization which would be responsible for keeping essential government services in operation in Arab arias after the British withdraw.

Opposition to the Mufti appears to be growing, not only among leaders of Arab states but among some influential Palestinian Arabs. (N.Y. Herald Tribune)

Cairo Feb. 10 – Famal el-Husseini said today that Arab suicide squads were training in Palestine after attacking the United Nations Commission when it arrives and declared “that the Arabs will fight to the end” any forces sent to Palestine to implement partition “be it American or Russian.” (N.Y. Times)

Istanbul, Turkey, Feb. 10 – The Mufti of Jerusalem has expressed his approval of the formation of a Turkish legion and of its announced decision to take an active part in the fight against Jews in Palestine, in a message addressed to Cevat Rifat Atilhan, leader of the Turkish Conservative party and founder of the Turkish Legion. (N.Y. Times)

Washington, Feb. 10 – Thirty Republican members of the House of Representatives asked Secretary of State Marshall in a letter today to disclose what the United States was “prepared to do to help” enforce partitioning of Palestine. (N.Y. Times).