UN Palestine Commission – Daily News Summary

UNITED NATIONS PALESTINE COMMISSION

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY – 10

7 February 1948

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

Jerusalem. Feb. 6 – British troops went into action again today against Arabs in the Safad area, using mortars to break up an attack on a Jewish settlement. The curfew continues in Tiberias itself, which is believed to have been the nerve center of an infiltration organization in that part of the country,

Eight Jews and one Arab were killed during the day in scattered incidents throughout Palestine. (N.Y. Times)

Lake Success, Feb. 6 – The Arab Higher Committee of Palestine sent to the United Nations a formal declaration of war in “self-defense” against any attempt to partition the Holy Land.

In a letter to the Secretary-General signed by Isa Nakleh, the committee declared that the Arabs would fight “to the last man” against any force going to Palestine to partition that country,” and charged the United States with having exercised “flagrant interference and pressure” to force votes favoring partition. (Browne; N.Y. Times)

New York, Feb. 6 – Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, chairman of the American section of the Jewish Agency for Palestine charged that some members of the United States Government are conspiring with the British to frustrate partition and said that fear of “Arab punitive action against American oil interests” is the principal bais for the activity here “to force a revision” of the United Nations decision.

Dr. Silver declared that unless the embargo on arms shipments to the Jewish people was lifted, the World would “build up to another Spain, as bloody and as disastrous.” (N.Y. Herald Tribune)

London, Feb. 7 – Great Britain has sent a strongly worded note to Bulgaria, charging that either its government deliberately connived in sending unauthorized Jewish immigrants to Palestine or its officials made a “serious error” in giving the ships clearance, (U.P., N.Y. Herald Tribune)