Ceasefire efforts – Cablegram from Chairman SecCo Truce Commission

CABLEGRAM DATED 20 MAY 1948 FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE

SECURITY COUNCIL TRUCE COMMISSION ADDRESSED TO THE

PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL

THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL TRUCE COMMISSION INSTRUCTS ME TO TRANSMIT THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE TO YOU:   FURTHER TO MY EARLIER TELEGRAM I ESTABLISHED CONTACT YESTERDAY WITH THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF ARAB LEGION IN JERUSALEM AND REACHED AGREEMENT WITH HIM REGARDING CROSSING THE LINES AND BRINGING HIM TEXT OF JEWISH AGENCY'S CEASE FIRE PROPOSAL STOP  AS THE ESCORT PROVIDED BY THE RED CROSS ON MONDAY HAD WHEN RETURNING BEEN ATTACKED BY ARAB SOLDIERS WHO FIRED ON THE RED CROSS FLAG SERIOUSLY WOUNDING ONE OF THE OCCUPANTS OF THE CAR WE HAD TO RE-CROSS THE LINES ON FOOT AS WE HAD DONE ON MONDAY EVENING IN ORDER TO GET BACK TO THE BRITISH CONSULATE CAR ON THE ARAB SIDE STOP  AT THE TIME ARRANGED FOR CROSSING WHEN WE WERE HOPING TO OBTAIN A TEMPORARY CEASE FIRE ORDER FROM BOTH PARTIES SOME ARMOURED CARS OF THE ARAB LEGION APPEARED IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE BRITISH CONSULATE AND THE ROAD WE WERE TO HAVE TAKEN CAM UNDER HEAVY FIRE FROM THE ARAB LEGIONNAIRES WHO HAD SEIZED THE POLICE SCHOOL ON MOUNT SCOPUS STOP  THE LEGION COMMANDER WHOM I WAS TO GO AND SEE CONFESSED THAT OWING TO LACK OF CONTACT HE WAS UNABLE TO ORDER HIS MEN TO STOP FIRING STOP WE HAD TO ABANDON OUR PLAN STOP  I TRANSMITTED TEXT OF JEWISH AGENCY'S LETTER BY TELEPHONE TO MY ENGLISH COLLEAGUE WHO PROMISED TO TAKE IT TO ARAB GENERAL HEADQUARTERS STOP A FEW MINUTES LATER HE INFORMED ME FROM THE HIGH COMMAND WHERE HE HAD GONE THAT THE REPLY OF THE ARAB CHIEFS WAS IN THE NEGATIVE SINCE THEY WERE RELUCTANT TO HEAR OF ANY ESTABLISHMENT OF A LINE OF COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE CITY OF JERUSALEM AND THE JEWISH QUARTER OF THE OLD CITY WHICH WOULD ENABLE THE INHABITANTS OF THE JEWISH QUARTER TO BE SUPPLIED WITH FOOD AND AMMUNITION STOP THE ARAB OFFICER TO WHOM I SPOKE THEN SAID HE WOULD ADHERE TO THE SURRENDER TERMS FOR THE JEWISH QUARTER OF THE OLD CITY WHICH WERE SUBMITTED TO THE JEWS ON SUNDAY EVENING AND COMMUNICATED TO THE JEWISH AGENCY BY MYSELF ON MONDAY EVENING STOP THESE CONDITIONS – COMBATANTS TO BE PRISONERS OF WAR WOMEN CHILDREN AND OLD PEOPLE TO BE EVACUATED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE RED CROSS – IMPOSED ON THE JEWS BESIEGED AND ENCIRCLED MONDAY EVENING AND THEN DECLARED UNACCEPTABLE BY THE JEWISH AGENCY WERE OF COURSE BOUND TO BE TURNED DOWN BY THE AGENCY AFTER IT HAD BEEN POSSIBLE TO JOIN UP WITH THE SURROUNDED CONTINGENTS ON MONDAY EVENING STOP THE HOPE OF ACHIEVING A CEASE FIRE AT LEAST IN THE OLD CITY VANISHED LIKE SEVERAL OTHERS TO WHICH WE HAD CLUNG FOR A WEEK STOP LAST NIGHT THE ARAB TROOPS SHELLED THE CITY AFRESH WITH ARTILLERY THIS TOGETHER WITH FOOD SHORTAGE CREATED A SITUATION THE FULL SERIOUSNESS OF WHICH NEED HARDLY BE EMPHASIZED STOP

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