1 United Nations' Oral History Project Interview with Mr. Issa NAkhleh By Hamid Abdelajber 22 October 1998- UN Headquarters

JABER: Welcome Mr. Issa Nakhleh to the United Nation's Oral History Project. We appreciate your acceptance to come and participate in this project. My name is Hamid Abdeljaber, the Interviewer and my Interviewee is Mr. Issa Nakhleh, and I would like Mr. Nakhleh first to start with asking you to introduce yourself briefly. In: My name is Issa Nakhleh. I am the representative of the Arab High Committee for Palestine since 1947. And I am the author of the Encyclopedia of the Palestine problem. I attended forty sessions of the United Nations since 1947.

JABER: Mr. Nakhleh, we will go back to those days of 1946 and 1947 and we'll ask you first to briefly describe to us your association with the Question of Palestine as it was presented those days to the United Nations.

IN: On the 2nd of April 1947, the British government requested the Secretary-General.of the United Nations to place the Question of Palestine on the agenda of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General sent a ~elegram to all member states, requesting to convene a special session. When the Arab governments heard of this situation, they formed their delegations and, at the same time, the Arab High Cornrni ttee for Palestine formed its own delegation composed of Munif El-Husseini, Emil El-Ghouri, Henry Cattan, Wasef Kamal, and Issa Nakhleh, myself. 2

We le.ft- on, the ;2 6th af 'April i 94 7', from Cairo. The Palestine Arab delegation together with Mr.Azzam ~asha the, then, Secretary­ Gene-ral' 'of the League, of Arab Stat:es. We took an airplane on the 26 of April and we arrived on the 2.7th.We came to the United Nations vjHid"l" ,started to' discuss' the question of, Palestine on Ap r i 1 28', 1947.

0s.wald'o A(..aldlha- of Brazil, was the President of the General Assembly. He r~q~ested the General Committee"to consider the provisional agenda of that session. Beforei the General Committee, there was a proposal Introduced by the Br~tish .goyernment and by the Secretary~General'that they should constitute and instruct a special Committee to prepare for the consideration of the Question of Palestine on the second regular session. The Arab governments wanted to put before the General Committee another proposal which called on the United Nations to grant Palestine Independence and freedom.

On April 28 and 29, the General Conuni ttee met to discuss the agenda. Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia submitted an item for the agenda: termination of the British mandate over Palestine and the declaration of its Independence.

The General Committee refused to include the proposal of the Arab governmen~s. and decided that the General Assembly should discuss onl:.y.~,what. th'e'President and the Secretary-General has suggested of establishing a special committee. The Arab suggestion was defeated.

The General committeedesi~~a that the matter should be referred to the First Committee. The report of the General Committee was submitted to the General Assembly which discussed it on May the 3rd and 5th.

3 3

Delegates of Uruguay, Yugoslavia, Chile, Argentina, andBy.e~t~ssia submitted a draft resolution allowing the Jewish Agency for Palestine to be granted the right to be heard by the General Assembly., The General Assembly adopted that resolution. The Arab States protested. The First Committee decided on May 5th, 1947 that the Jewish Agency and the Arab Higher Committee for Palestine together should be heard before the Committee. [

The General Assembly on the 7th of May, 1947 adopted a resolution I that the Arab Higher Committee should be heard also before the I General Assembly and the other Committees. On May 13, the recommendation came from the First Committee to the r General Assembly for constituting and instructing a United Nations I Special Committee on Palestine to submit a report on the Question of Palestine to be composed of Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Guatemala, I India,Iran, Netherlands, Peru, Sweden, Uruguay, and Yugoslavia. The Secretary-General should submit that report of the Special Committee I on Palestine not later than the first of September 1947.

I After the general debate, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on I May 15, 1947 to appoint the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine as recommended by the First Committee.

I JABER: What did the UN Special Committee on Palestine do?

I IN: The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine went to the r United Kingdom and Palestine and heard witnesses. The .Arab Higher .. Committee for Palestine 'Joycotted the Committee. The Special Committee on J Palestine submitted its report to the United Nations Secretary General J' 4

on September 3, 1947. The report included a recommendation approved

by Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Guatemala, the Netherlands,

Peru, Sweden and Uruguay to partition Palestine into an Arab State

and a Jewish State with economic union and a Special International

Status for Jerusalem. A minority group of India, Iran and Yugoslavia

recommended to constitute a Federal State in Palestine composed of

an Arab State, a Jewish State and a Federal Government.

During the Second Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the

report of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine was

referred to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Palestine question which

invited representatives of the Arab Higher Committee for Palestine

and the Jewish Agency to take part in the discussion. The Ad Hoc

Committee discussed the matter from September 25 to November 25,

1947.

JABER: What was the attitude of the States in the Ad Hoc Committee

on Palestine?

IN: The United States was not very enthusiastic for the

Partition Proposal, but finally it supported the idea of Partition.

Most of the European States supported Partition. Some Latin American

States supported Partition. The Communist States, who were part of I the Soviet Union supported partition. The Arab States and the Asian I and African States were against Partition. JABER: I understand that there was a proposal to refer the I matter to the International Court of Justice. What happened to that I proposal? I - 5

IN: The Arab States authorized Fares Al-Khouri, representative of Syria, to submit a resolution to request the International Court of Justice to give an advisory opinion under Article 96 of the United Nations Charter and Chapter IV of the Statute of the Court on several legal issues, amongst which whether a plan for the partition of Palestine without the consent of the majority of its people is consistent with the objectives of the Covenant of the League of Nations and with the provisions of the Mandate for Palestine. The resolution was rejected by 21 votes to 20, with 13 abstentions.

JABER: Did the Ad Hoc Committee approve the partition plan?

IN: On November 25, 1947 the Ad Hoc Committee approved

the partition resolution by 25 members, J.).. agains·t; with 17 abstentions .

•• e ...• Two members were absent. Six Arab States, Afghanistan, Cuba, India, Iran, Siam, Pakistan and Turkey voted against it. Argentina, Belgium, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia abstained. Paraguay and the Philippines were absent. r JABER: Did the Arab States try to convince other States not to support the partition resolution in the Ad Hoc Committee? I" IN: The Arab States and the Arab Higher Committee for Palestine r were contacting all members of the Ad Hoc Committee so that they would not support the partition resolution. The most important r Arab representatives who were active in that effort were Prince Faisal r of Saudi Arabia, Fares El-Khourj. of Syria, Carneel Sharn'oun of Lebanon, Mahmoud F~wzi of Egypt, Fadel Jamali of Iraq, and all of the r I 6 I representatives of the Arab Higher Committee for Palestine. Prince I Faisal contacted General George C. Marshall, United States Secretary of State and some American oil companies to influence the Department I of State not to support partition. I I met members of the United States delegation who were not originally in favor of partition. I met Mr. Lay Henderson, I Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and he told me, IIWe do not favor the partition resolution. 1I The book of the

I Foreign Relations of the United States in 1947 includes many I statements that the United States was against partition in principle. Later on they changed their position and supported partition.

I JABER: What was the position of the British Government?

I IN: The British Government was hesitant to support I partition. Its representatives said, "We do not want to support partition, but we will not be against it." r JABER: What was the position of United States Church r organizations on partition? r IN: The National Council of Churches was unfortunately for partition. I tried to convince the Secretary General of the 1- National Council of Churches to make a statement against partition but he declined. I used to know Cardinal Spellman because when I r came to the United Sates in 1947 I had a letter to him from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in which he said, "Mr. Nakhleh is my lawyer

r and my friend." Cardinal Spellman invited me to lunch and I I explained to him the Palestine Problem. He was very sympathetic. I I 7

I Unfortunately I discovered in November 1947 that some Jewish American leaders visited Cardinal Spe11man and gave him twenty five million

I dollars for Catholic charities and asked him to call some Latin I American States to support partition. This I was told by one of the Secretaries of Cardinal Spe11man.

I JABER: What was the position of other States towards partition?

I IN: As I said before, the delegates of the Soviet Union were I strongly in favor of partition. Mr. Jama1 El-Husseini, who headed the delegation of the Arab Higher Committee for Palestine, and I, I had a talk with Andrei Vyshinsky, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union. Mr. Husseini told me, I1Issa. You are a Christian. I Explain to His Excellency the Zionist ideas why they want to establish • a Jewish State. lI I explained to Mr. Vyshinsky that the Jews are basing their claim on their interpretation of the Bible that they

were the "Chosen Peop1ell and that "God promised them Pa1estine. 1I I

told him, "If you read the Bible you will find that the Zionist claims

are not true. There was no promise from God to them about Palestine,

and they are not the Chosen People." I told him, "You in the Soviet

Union do not believe in the Bible. Why do you want to establish a

Jewish State?" Jama1 E1-Husseini then told Vyshinsky, "Your Excellency,

partition is against our national rights. We are the majority in Palestine

1,350,000 Christians and Muslims. The Jews are only 650,000, and most

of them are illegal immigrants. Our suggestion is that we make one

democratic State where Jews and Arabs can live as fellow citizens in

one State." Mr. Vyshinsky said, "No," and he was banging his fist

.. I I 8 I on the table, saying, "There must be a Jewish State. There must be a Jewish State. There must be a Jewish State. And we are strongly I supporting it, all the Member States in the Soviet Union." I JABER: Why did the Soviet Union take such a strong position in favor of partition? I IN: I had friendship with one of the delegates of the I Soviet Union, Mr. S. K. Tsarapkin. I invited him to lunch at the United Nations. I asked him, "Why was Mr. Vyshinsky banging his I fist on the table and insisting that there must be a Jewish State?" Mr. Tsarapkin told me the following, "Twenty one Members of the

I Jewish Agency came to our Mission and spoke to Mr. Vyshinksky in I Russian. They told him, 'Your Excellency, the Jews in Palestine are Russian and Polish. We are your people, and if you establish I a Jewish State in Palestine we will be the representatives of the Soviet Union in the Middle East. '" Tsarapkin told me, "The Soviet

I Union supported partition for two reasons, because the Jews in I Palestine were of Russian and Polish origin and because the Soviet Union wanted the British Government to get out of the Middle East." I I spoke with the Ambassadors of Poland, Czechoslovakia and ~Ukr-aine and tried to convince them not to support partition. I could not I change their opinions.

11 JABER: What was the position of the other States? 11 IN : The delegate of Siam was first accepted as chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee until he showed his intention to vote against 11 11 I I 9 partition. Then he was threantened that his credentials would be I refused on the grounds that a coup d'etat had taken place in his I country. He was forced to stay away. So he did not come and vote. On Wednesday, November 26th, the delegate of Haiti made a strong I speech against partition upon the instructions of his government. On Saturday, November 29th, he circulated a note to all delegations,

I explaining that he was voting for partition in accordance with I fresh instructions that he has to vote for partition. He was seen in the lobby with tears in his eyes. He was a good friend of mine and I he told me that the United States government called his President and I forced him to change his vote, and he was changing his vote accordingly. The representative of Cuba was against partition in the Ad Hoc I Committee, and he was a friend of mine. He and his wife met me many times for dinner. He told me: "Imagine, the Jewish Agency bought

I a fur coat to my wife. They wanted me to vote for partition. But we I refused this gift and I am voting against partition." He actually did vote against partition.

I General Carlos ROIDulo, who was the Foreign Minister of the Philippines,

made a strong courageous speech on Wednesday, denouncing partition. - He declared that: liThe government of the Philippines regrets its inability to approve or particip~te in a solution of the Palestine

- Problem that will entail the encouragement of a political disunion - and enforcement of measures that would amount to territorial mutilation , of the Holy Land." But on Saturday, we noticed the absence of General Romulo. He took a boat and went to Europe and from there to the ­ Philippines. The new delegate claimed receiving different instructions. I I I 10 I One was against partition as instructed by the head of his delegation, and the other supporting partition according to fresh instructions I from his government after the United States government called the I President of the Philippines and forced him to vote for partition. The Liberian delegate abstained from voting in the Ad Hoc Committee. I It was known in the United Nations thatsh~ intended to vote against partition. Thereupon, the Jewish Agency and its pressure squad

I threatened the delegate, Mrs. Ellen Mills Scarborough, with physical I violence which caused her to ask for police protection. JABER: Now I want to talk about the position of the Secretary-General,

I Mr. Trygve Lie. It was well known, and it was on record, that he I was supporting the partition plan. So how did the Arab delegates react to the Secretary-General, who had a position on the issue? r IN: Well, Trygve Lie was under the influence of the United States r and the influence of the Soviet Union. I talked to Trygve Lie once in one of the parties and told him: "Your Excellency, why are r you supporting partition?" He replied, "I am not supporting partition, but you know the majority of the United Nations wanted to have peace and r the only way to make peace is to separate the Jews from the Arabs. We r are making two States with economic union, and that is, in my opinion, the only' way that we can make peace in the Middle East. Have a Jewish r State and an Arab State with economic union." r JABER: How were the boundaries of the Arab State and the Jewish State defined? f I ------~------r 11 I I IN: On October 21, 1947, the Ad Hoc Committee started consideration of the reports of Subcommittee 1. (AI AC.14/34 and Corr. I 1, Add.l), and Subcommittee 2. (AI AC.14/32 and Add.l). The report of Subcommittee 1, regarding the boundaries of the Jewish state and the I Arab state, stated the following: I "The working group on boundaries accepted the boundaries proposed by the Special Committee in principle, but examined them in considerable I detail with a view to reducing, so far as was reasonably possible, the size of the Arab minority in the Jewish State, taking into account I considerations of security, communications, irrigation and possibilities of future development. It recommended that the Arab sections of Jaffa I should be excluded from the Jewish State and created as an Arab enclave. I The boundary changes recommended by the Sub-Committee would result in a reduction of the Arab population in the Jewish State estimated at I between 78,000 and 81,000 depending on whether the Karton quarter of Jaffa, which is inhabited by both Arabs and Jews, is included in the J enclave of Jaffa. The final decision of this question, as well as on I details of other boundary questions, would be left to a demarcation commission which would fix the exact boundary lines on the spot. A , number of other rectifications were made in the boundary lines recommended by the Special Committee in accordance with the above I considerations. The new boundary lines as recommended by the Sub-Committee appear on the map which constitutes annex I to the plan." J I It stated further: "Independent Arab and Jewish States and the special international I regime for the City of Jerusalem, set forth in part III of this plan, J I I 12 I shall come into existence in Palestine two months after the evacuation of the armed forces of the Mandatory Power has been completed, but in I any case not later than 1 October 1948. The boundaries of the Arab State, the Jewish State and the City of Jerusalem shall be described I in parts 11 and Ill," which were attached to the partition resolution.

I JABER: What happened later in the General Assembly? I IN: The Ad Hoc Committee Report was submitted to the General Assembly on November 21, 1947. Debate on the Report continued for I many days. The representatives who supported partition were strongly urging the adoption of the partiition resolution. The Arab States, I and Asian and African States, and some Latin American countries, I opposed partition. I When the supporters of the partition plan felt from the general debate that they did not have the two-thirds majority necessary to adopt ~ the resolution of the partition plan, the representative of France, on the 28th of November, suggested the postponement of the vote for 24 I hours. That proposal was adopted by twenty votes to fifteen. In the meantime, the United States Government put great pressure on many I foreign governments to change their position and support partition. I When the vote was taken in the General Assembly on November 29. 1947, the resolution was adopted by 33 votes for to 13 votes against, with ­ 10 abstentions. I The voting was a follows: In favor: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussian Soviet I Socialist Republic, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, I I I 13 Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland,

I Liberia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, I Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Union of South Africa, Union of Soviet Socialist I Republics, United States of America, Uruguay and Venezuela. I Against: Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and Yemen. I Abstained: Argentina, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, I Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom and Yugoslavia. I JABER: What did the partition resolution contain? IN: The partition resolution contained full description in

I detail of the boundaries of the Arab State and the boundaries of I the Jewish State. It contained many provisions relating to the relations between the Arab State and the Jewish State, and the I international status of Jerusalem. It contained also the following provisions: I "No discrimination of any kind shall be made between the inhabitants on the ground of race, religion, language or sex.

I "All persons within the jurisdiction of the State shall be entitlec I to equal protection of the laws. "No expropriation of land owned by an Arab in the Jewish

State (by a Jew in the Arab State) shall be allowed except for public - purposes. In all cases of expropriation full compensation as fixed by - the Supreme Court of the State concerned shall be paid previous to I dispossession." I I I 14

I JABER: What happened after the adoption of the partition I resolution? IN: The General Assembly appointed a United Nations I Commission to go to Palestine to study the possibility of implementing the partition resolution. It submitted a report to the General

I Assembly that partition cannot be implemented except by force.

I JABER: What happened after the report of the Commission which I said that partition cannot be implemented except by force? IN: The Permanent Members of the Security Council

I made a meeting between representatives of the Arab Higher Committee I for Palestine and the Jewish Agency to ascertain their positions. As I was the Permanent Representative of the Arab Higher Committee I for Palestine I appeared before delegates of the Permanent Members of the Security Council and the United Nations Secretary-General. I I told them that the people of Palestine cannot accept the partition of their country and the establishment of a Jewish State for the

I Jewish minority. Moshe Shertok appeared for the Jewish Agency and I insisted that the partition resolution should be implemented by force. The Permanent Members of the Security Council recommended a meeting I of the Security Council. The Security Coun9il met on April 17, 1948 and adopted a resolution requesting an end to all military activities

I in Palestine leading to increased tension and called upon all persons I and organizations in Palestine, and especially upon the Arab Higher Committee and the Jewish Agency, to take immediately, without prejudice I to their rights, claims, or positions, and as a contribution to the I I

I 15 I well-being and permanent interests of Palestine, the following measures: I "(d) Refrain pending further consideration of the future I government of Palestine by the General Assembly, from any political activity which might prejudice the rights, claims or positions of I either community."

I JABER: I understand that later on a Special Session of the General Assembly was convened. I IN: The United Nations General Assembly met in a special I session in May, 1948, "to consider further the question of the future government of Palestine." The United States delegation submitted a

I resolution for placing Palestine under United Nations trusteeship I pending a just solution to the Palestine problem. In introducing the pain for Trusteeship, Senator Warren Austin, Chief of the United States I Delegation,stated: "The U.S.A. believed that the General Assembly should consider

I the establishment of a temporary trusteeship which would provide a I government and essential public services in Palestine pending further negotiations. The Trusteeship proposal was intended to ensure order I and government and thereby make possible the working out of a peaceful settlement and constructive development in Palestine." I While the General Assembly was discussing the trusteeship I proposal, Zionist leaders, on May 14, 1948, proclaimed their declaration of independence and established the Provisional Government of the State ­ of Israel. I I I 16 I There was a rumor in the General Assembly that Zionist leaders declared in Tel AviV a Jewish State and that President I Truman recognized that State de facto eleven minutes after it was declared. The United States delegation did not know anything I about it. The representative of Colombia spoke in the General I Assembly and asked the United States delegation to confirm or deny that rumor. The President of the General Assemby adjourned the I Session. It seemed that Eliyahu Epstein, Agent of the Provisional I Government of Israel, sent on May 14, 1948 a letter to President Harry S Truman requesting D.S. recognition of Israel. He stated

I in this letter: I "MY DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have the honor to notify you that the state of Israel has been proclaimed as an independent republic I within frontiers approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its Resolution of November 29, 1947, and that a provisional I government has been charged to assume the rights and duties of I government for preserving law and order within the boundaries of Israel, for defending the state against external aggression, and for I discharging the obligations of Israel to the other nations of the world in accordance with international law. The Act of Independence I will become effective at one minute after six o'clock on the evening of 14 May 1948, Washington time." - Secretary of State General of the Army George C. Marshall replied as follows: - "I have the hnor to inform you that on May 14, 1948 at 6:11 p.m., - Washington time, the President of the United States issued the

i - ~_._----~-~~-~ .~----=~==...... ", 17

following statement: 'This Government has 'ubeen informed that a Jewish state has been I proclaimed in Palestine, and recognition has been requested by the provisional government thereof. I 'The United States recognizes the provisional government as the I de facto authority of the new State of Israel. III I JABER: What happened in the General Assembly in that Session? IN: The Trusteeship draft resolution was ignored and on I the 14th of May 1948 the United Nations General Assemby by resolution 186 (S-2) appointed Count Folke Bernadotte as a United Nations I mediator.

I JABER: What did Count Bernadotte do?

I IN: Count Bernadotte went to Palestine and he met Jews and Arabs and studied what happened in the area. He submitted a I report to the General Assembly which contained a plan for settlement I of the dispute, calling for surrender by Israel of all territory occupied beyond the area given to them by the Partition Plan. He I suggested an adjustment of the boundaries between the Arab and Jewish States. Count Bernadotte said in his report: I "There have been numerous reports from reliable sources of I large-scale looting, pillaging and plundering, and of instances of destruction of villages without apparent military necessity." I In his report he dealt with the right of repatriation and stated: I "The right of innocent people, uprooted from their homes by the I I I 18

I present terror and ravages of war, to return to their homes, should be affirmed and made effective, with assurance of adequate compensation I for the property of those who may choose not to return." I The report of Count Bernadotte was discussed by the First Committee of the General Assembly (Third Session) from October 15, I 1948 until November 30, 1948. Representatives of the Provisional Government of Israel were invited to take part in the discussion of I the First Committee. Mr. Moshe Shertock and Mr. Abba Eban insisted that the recommendations of Count Bernadotte should be rejected I because they consider that their boundaries defined by the Partition I Resolution of November 29, 1947 should not be changed. Dr. Philip Jesup of the United States Delegation stated: I "It should be noted that the resolution of 29 November had contemplated that almost of the Negeb would go to the State of Israel I and that Jaffa and Western Galilee would go to an Arab State. If, as now seemed probable, there were to be readjustments of the 29 November ­ boundaries, both parties should demonstrate a fair measure of reciprocity I and mutual understanding." Dean Rusk, of the United States Delegation, stated: I "Any modification in the boundaries fixed by the Resolution of 29 November 1947 could only be made if acceptable to the State of Israel." I Mr. Rodriquez Fabregat of Uruguay state: "Uruguay supported the United States view that the boundaries of - Israel could not be changed without the consent of Israel. Military conquest did not confer territorial rights, nor did starategic interest - constitute title to an area. If the territory of either party were - - I" 1- -19-

I to be enlarged in a way which differed from the territorial basis of 1- the partition plan, it should be done by an agreement between the parties."

I JABER: Count Bernadotte was assassinated. Who assassinated him? I IN: The plan and orders to assassinate Count Folke Bernadotte I were made, developed and given by Yitshak Shamir, leader of the Stern Gang. Count Bernadotte was killed by Jewish gunmen on I September 17, 1948 on Shamir's orders. Dr. Ralph Bunche was appointed as the acting United

I Nations Mediator. He spoke in the First Committee and stated that I the General Assembly should appeal to the parties to resolve their outstanding differences by negotiations, direct or indirect, and I suggested the establishment of a Conciliation Commission to assist them in doing so and to undertake such other functions as might

I prove advisable.

I JABER: When was Resolution 194 (Ill) adopted? I IN: On the 11th of December, 1948 the General Assembly adopted Resolution 194 (Ill), entitled "Palestine - Progress Report I of the United Nations Mediator." This Resolution was a compre;hensive effort to deal with the ongoing conflict situation in Palestine and - consisted of fifteen paragraphs. It established a Conciliation Commission for Palestine composed of three member states of the United Nations - (France, Turkey, and the United States). - Paragraph 11 deals with the refugees by stating that the - 20 l General Assembly: I "Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at r the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid r for the property of those choosing not to return and for the loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or r in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible. r "Instructs the Conciliation Commission to facilitate the I repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of compensation, and to maintain close I relations with the Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine R~fugees and, through him, with the appropriate I organs and agencies of the United Nations."

I JABER: What was the area of the Arab State and the Jewish State in accordance with the Partition Resolution? ~ IN: The area of Palestine was 10,435 square miles, of which I 272.59 square miles were the water areas. The Arab State was given by the Partition Resolution 4,476 square miles, that is 42.88% of the

I area of Palestine. The Jewish State was given 5,893 square miles, that I is 56.47% of the area of Palestine. The international zone for Jerusalem was 68 square miles, that is 0.65% of the area of Palestine. I The Palestinians in 1947 owned 24,670,455 dunums of lands and Jews owned only 1,514,247 dunums of land. This was confirmed by the

I survey submitted by the Government of Palestine. I •

Si I 21

I As a result of the War of Aggression by the Zionists against I the Palestinians from 1948 to 1950, the Zionists occupied the following areas beyond the boundaries defined by the Partition I Resolution for the Jewish State: 1) the cities of Acre and Shafa Amr and fifty villages in the Galilee area; 2) the city of Nazareth and I 29 villages; 3) the city of Jaffa and 33 villages; 3) the city of Lydda and 29 villages; 4) the city of Ramleh and 23 villages; 5)

I the towns of Isdud, Majdal, Falujah and Beit Jibrin and 26 villages; I 6) six important quarters in Jerusalem City and 32 villages; 7) seven villages in the District of Bethlehem; 8) eight villages in the I District of Jenin; 9) 29 villages in the District of Tulkarm;lO) 16 villages in the District of Hebron.

I The United Nations Documents A/AC.25/W.84,p.8 states:

"Under the Armistice Agreements, the sub-districts of Jaffa, Ramleh, ~ Haifa, Nazareth, Beisan and Tiberias and quite a large part of the sub-districts of Acre and Safad were under the military occupation of the Israeli authorities. The western sector of Jerusalem and the coastal I areas of the province of Tulkarm were also occupied by Israel. This means that a total area of 20 million dunums of land belonging to the Palestinian Arabs was under the Israeli military occupation."

I Due to the loss of the Triangle more than 300,000 dunums of the I most fertile lands, which included many villages, were occupied by the Jewish State. In the Armistice Agreement between Israel and Jordan,

the villagerswere given some kind of protection and the inhabitants - were to remain in their villages and to live on their lands, but the - Israelis didn't honor the agreement and the villagers were finally expelled and became refugees. - (At the end of this paper we enclose two maps showing the Partition l Plan boundaries and the boundaries of territories occupied by Israel at the time of the Armistice Agreements; and also the map of Palestine

J showing the land ownership by Arabs and Jews in the sub-districts of J Palestine prepared by the Palestine Commission which submitted the Partition Plan.) I I 22 I JABER: I want to ask about the status of Jerusalem, which was I part of the partition plan. The plan gave Jerusalem a special status as an International city. What was the Arab delegations I perception of the issue of Jerusalem?

I IN: The Partition Resolution contained Part Ill, a Section about the city of Jerusalem. It stated:

I "The City of Jerusalem shall be estabri::§..~_ed as a corpus ... separ~tum I under a special international regime and shall be administered by the United Nations. The Trusteeship Council shall be designated to discharge I the responsibilities of the Administering Authority on behalf of the United Nations.1! I "The City of Jerusalem shall include the present municipality of Jerusalem plus the surrounding villages and towns, the most eastern of

I which'shalw be Abu Dis, the most sourthern, Bethlehem, the most western, I Ein Karim (including also the built-up area of Motsa)j and the most northern Shu'fat, as indicated on the attached map." I The Palestine Arabs and the Arab States refused to have Jerusalem under Trusteeship. They wanted to keep Jerusalem as the rest of Palestine

I The Trusteeship Council met in more than twenty sessions and prepared I a plan placing Jerusalem under United Nations Trusteeship. These Resolutions were never implemented.

I JABER: What was the position of the Ar ab delegates in the I United Nations? Were they united? Were they lobbying the other delegates in the United Nations? I I 1­ 1- r 23 r IN: The Arab and Muslim delegations were united, and they were lobbying and contacting all members of the United Nations not to r support partition. However, all members were pressured by the United States and the Soviet Union and other Communist countries to I- support partition.

f JABER: What was the British position on partition. How did they vote on the partition resolution? f r IN: The British abstained. JABER: How did they justify this abstention?

I IN: The said, "We do not want to support any solution except when I both parties agreed upon it. They added that they suggested partition in the years 1933, 1934, and 1935, but the Arabs refused, so they gave I up on the idea of partition. In 1939, when the Arab delegates and the Jewish Agency delegates went to Britain to discuss that issue before I the Second World War and to discuss how to reach a solution, the British Government decided to issue the "White Paper" of 1939, which

I stated that Palestine should become independent with a majority of I Arabs and a minority of Jews and secure the rights of all parties. So the British were not convinced that partition was a good solution. The

Foreign Secretary in 1947, Ernest Bevin, was against partition, and - so the Government of the United Kingdom was not in favor of partition - and that is why they abstained. I- 24

JABER: You said the United States was in principle against

partition. How can you prove that?

IN: The United States delegates were in the beginning not

favoring partition. Many United States delegates told Arab delegates

about their position. It seems the position of the United States I about the future government of Palestine was stated in a Memorandum prepared in the Department of State on June 4, 1947, which is found

I in Volume 5 of 1947 Foreign Relations of the United States, p. 1096, I which stated: "Palestine should become neither an Arab State nor a Jewish State, I but a single independent Palestine State in which all its people, of whatever religion or blood may dwell together in accord. United I Palestine should take its rightful place as a member of the United Nations. Its people must bea assisted by the UN to create a

I democratic government and to prepare for their forthcoming independence." I Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia contacted the Secretary of State, General George C. Marshall, and he told him in the beginning that the I United States was not in favor of partition. Unfortunately, the United States changed its position later and its delegates started

I making speeches supporting the ideas of partition.

I JABER: To what extent did the Palestinians consider the United Kingdom and the British Mandate of Palestine responsible for

I the whole situation in Palestine and what happened thereafter? I I I I 25 I IN: The Palestinians consider the United Kingdom

I responsible for the tragedy of Palestine until 1948. They I first helped the Zionist conspiracy to occupy Palestine in 1916 by secretly issuing the Balfour Declaration. In 1916 a secret I agreement was made between the British War Cabinet and Zionist leaders promising the latter a "national home" in Palestine in

I consideration of their efforts to bring the United States into

World War I on the side of Great Britain. Samuel Landman of London, I c personal secretary to Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann and Secretary of I the World Zionist Organization from 1917 to 1922, confirmed this: "the only way ... to induce the American President to come into the 11 War was to secure the co-operation of Zionist Jews by promising them Palestine, and thus enlist and mobilize the hitherto unsuspectedly

11 powerful forces of Zionist Jews in America and elsewhere in favor of III the Allies on a quid pro quo contract basis." As a result of this secret agreement, the Balfour Declaration was , issued on November 2, 1917. It stated: "His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in 11 Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people ... It being clearly 11 understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine. 'I III During the Versailles Peace Conference .the League of Nations adopted Article 22 referring to the territories which were III under the sovereignty of Turkey. It stated: "Certain communities formerly belonging to the Turkish Empire have

III reached a stage of development where their existence as independent 1I nations can be provisionally recognized subject to the rendering of II I 26 I administrative advice and assistance by a Mandatory until such time as

I they are able to stand alone. The wishes of these communities must be I a principal consideration the selection of the Mandatory." This means that Palestine was provisionally an independent I country under Class A Mandate such as Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. The British introduced the Balfour Declaration into the

I Mandate. The Palestinians demonstrated against the Balfour Declaration I and made revolution against the British Government in 1918, 1920, 1921 and 1922. In 1922 Winston Churchill was Secretary of State for the I Colonies. He issued a White Paper explaining the meaning of the Balfour Declaration. He stated: I "Unauthorized statements have been made to the effect that the purpose in view is to create a wholly Jewish Palestine ... His Majesty's

I Government regard any such expectation as impracticable and have no I such aim in view. Nor have they at any time contemplated the disappearance or the subordination of the Arabic population, language I or culture in Palestine. Palestine should not be converted into a Jewish national home, but that such a homeland should be founded in

I Palestine." I In spite of the fact that Palestinians constantly requested the end of the Mandate and the establishment of an independent State in I Palestine, the British consta~tly refused to do so and sent several commissions to study the situation in Palestine, which some of them

I recommended partition, while others found that partition is impracticable I In 1936 the Palestinians made a Revolution against the British which continued for three years. In 1938 and 1939 conferences were I held in London between representatives of the Palestinians and many I I I 27 Arab States on the one hand, and the representatives of the Jewish

I Agency, on the other. At the end of the conferences the British I Government issued the White Paper of 1939, in which it stated: "The objective of His Majesty's Government is the establishment I within ten years of an independent Palestine State... in which Arabs and Jews share in government in such a way as to ensure that the

I essential interest of each community are safeguarded." I· The White Paper of 1939 was never implemented because of the commencement of World War 11 and because the Jewish community in I Palestine objected to the White Paper and carried out widespread terrorism against the British Government in Palestine and against

I the Palestinians. Jewish terrorism intensified during 1946, 1947 I and 1948. During the British Mandatory rule in Palestine Great Britain was taking strong measures against the Palestinians, forbidding I them to possess firearms. A Palestinian who was caught with one bullet was sentenced to several years in prison. At the same time, the

I British were permitting the Jews to import weapons and manufacture I weapons in Palestine. In 1947 and 1948 when fighting started between the Palestinians I and the Jews the British were aiding and abetting the Jews against the Palestinians. They were permitting the Jews to obtain weapons from

I diffe~ent sources and preventing the Palestinians from getting weapons. I The British also influenced Glubb Pasha, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Jordanian Forces, and influenced the Iraqi Government not to I assist the Palestinians in their fight against the Jews. Finally when the British withdrew from Palestine in 1948 they I were maneuvering their withdrawal to assist the Jews against the I 28 I Palestinians, which enabled the Jews to occupy more lands in I Palestine. JABER: Let me ask you about the Palestinian refugees.

I Were they expelled by the Israelis or did they leave Palestine I when they were asked by Arab radio and Arab organizations to leave their homes temporarily because they will return when the I Arabs gain victory against the Jews? I IN: Zionist leaders conspired to expel the Palestinians from Palestine. They used massacres in towns and I villages to frighten the Palestinians. Every town and villages suffered from these crimes. In many villages the Hagana and/or

I the Irgun Z'vai Leumi ordered the villagers to assemble in one I place, and then shot twenty or thirty people in front of the whole village, informing the surviving villagers that if they did I not leave in the trucks waiting for them, they would all be killed. The Zionists drove these trucks to the borders of Lebanon, Syria

I or Jordan and at gunpoint forced the Palestinians to cross the I frontiers. The total Palestinian population expelled from 1948 to 1950 was 850,000 men, women and children. I The conspiracy to expel the Palestinians from their homes was planned as far back as 193~. Joseph Weitz, director of the Jewish I National Fund, wrote in his diary on December 19, 1940: I "It must be clear that there is no room for both peoples in this country. If the Arabs stay, the country will remain narrow I and miserable. The only solution is Eretz Israel, or at least • Western Eretz Israel, without ARabs. There is no room for compromise on this point." I I 29 I This echoed what David Ben Gurion wrote to his son in 1937: "We will expel the Arabs and take their places." I Ten years later, in his diary entry for December 19, 1947, David Ben Gurion wrote: I "In each attack a decisive blow should be struck, resulting I in the disruption of homes and the expulsion of the population." On September 16, 1948, Count Fo1ke Bernadotte, United Nations I Mediator for Palestine, in his Progress Report to the Secretary General of the United Nations, stated that "the exodus of Palestinian I Arabs resulted from panic created by fighting in their communities, by rumours concerning real or alleged acts of terrorism, or expulsion."

I A brief summary of expulsions of Palestinian Arabs in 1948 J includes: 1. On April 1, 1948, "Operation Nachson" was launched to carve out I and hold a corridor from Te1 Aviv on the coast to Jerusalem in the interior. This involved the occupation and destruction of Arab villages

I in the corridor. The massacre of Deir Yassin on April 10th was part of I this operation. By April 12th, the Zionists had expelled about 15,000 Arab villagers from thjs corridor. J 2. On April 13th, 1948 "Operation Jephtha" was launched to clear eastern Galilee of Arabs and to link Tiberias and Safad. On April 18th,

J the Zionists occupied Tiberias and brutally expelled 4,500 Palestinian J Arabs from that city as well as about 14,000 Arabs from neighboring villages. J 3. On April 22, 1948, "Operation Misparayim" was launched for the capture of the whole of Haifa. Fearing for their lives, all but a J few thousand of Haifa's more than 60,000 Arab inhabitants fled. r I 30

I 4. On April 27 the Zionists attacked the villages around Jaffa, occupying Salameh, Yazur and others, expelling about 5,000 Arabs.

I 5. Also on April 27 the Zionists invaded the suburbs of Jerusalem I and were able to occupy the quarters of Katamon, the German colony, and upper Bekaa, expelling about 30,000 Arabs. I 6. Between April 28 and May 6 the Zionists attacked more Arab villages in Galilee and in the district of Beisan, expelling their

I inhabitants and committing horrid massacres to impel flight. I 7. On May 7 the Zionists attacked the city of Safad. As a result, 25,000 ARabs were expelled from Safad and the surrounding villages. I 8. On May 11, the Zionists completed their attack on the city of Jaffa, expelling 67,000 Arabs. I 9. Also on May 11th the Zionists occupied the town of Beisan in Northern Palestine, expelling 15,000 Arabs from the town and its surrounding

I villages. I 10. On May 12 and 13 large scale operations were launched in the Southern region of Palestine, expelling about 25,000 of its Arab I inhabitants. 11. On May 14 "Operation Ben-Ami" was launched with the objective of

I occupying Acre and its surrounding villages. More than 30,000 Arabs were I expelled. 12. On May 14, following the withdrawa1 of the last British forces from I Jerusalem, the Zionists occupied upper Baka, MOunt Zion, Mamillah, Musrara and the southern outskirts of Jerusalem. More than 15,000

Arabs left the Jerusalem area, completing the expulsion of Arabs from ­ modern Jerusalem. I 13. On July 12-13 1I0peration DAni" was launched with the Zionists I occupying the cities of Ramleh and Lydda and ruthlessly expelling - I 31 I 70,000 Palestinian Arabs from their homes. I 14. Between July 18-25 the Zionists attacked the Arab villages of Ein Ghazal and Jaba by air and land, systematically destroying the I villages and making their 8,000 inhabitants homeless. 15. On October 31, the Zionists occupied the village of Ikrit in

I Western Galilee, subsequently expelling its inhabitants. On the same I day the village of Kfar Berem was occupied, and its inhabitants, too, were expelled. I The Zionists falsely declare that Arab authorities urged the Palestinians to leave their homes and that these orders were made

I by radio broadcasts and by authorities in person. I Erskine Childers, a British journalist, examined the records of all broadcasts by Arab transmitters in the Middle East in 1948, which I had been monitored by BBC. Childers concludes that: "There was not a single order, or appeal, or suggestion about I evacuation from Palestine from any Arab radio station, inside or I outside Palestine, in 1948. There is repeated monitored record of Arab appeals, even flat orders, to the civilians of Palestine to stay I put." Mr. Benny Morris, Israeli historian, examined Israeli Defense I Intelligence Branch Report of 30 June 1948, which revealed an even greater direct Zionist responsibility for expelling the Palestinians,

I This Intelligence Branch Report goes out of its way to stress that the I exodus of Palestinians was contrary to the political-strategic desires of both the Arab Higher Committee for Palestine and the I governments of the neighboring Arab States. These, according to the Report, struggled against the exodus - threatening, cajoling,

I imposing punishments, all to no avail. There was no stemming the panic. I I I 32 I Another instance of Israeli expulsion of Palestinians is reported by Benny Morris regarding the Israeli expulsion of the Palestinian I population of Lydda. Yigal Allon asked Ben Gurion, "What shall we do with the Arabs of Lydda?" Ben-Gurion mad a dismissive energetic I gesture with his hand and said "expel them (garesh otan)."

I JABER: What massacres did the Israelis commit in the Middle East? I IN: The following are a list of well documented Israeli conducted massacres: The King David Hotel in 1946, the Semiramis I Hotel in 1948, Deir Yassin in 1948, Dawayma in 1948, Kibya in 1953, Kfar Kassim in 1956, the USS Liberty in 1967, the massacre of Egyptian

I prisoners of war in 1967, the Libyan Boeing 727 Airliner in 1973, I Sabra and Shati1a in 1982, and recently the massacre in Cana in Lebanon.

I JABER: How was Israel admitted to the United Nations? • IN: On November 29, 1948, Moshe Shertock, the Foreign Minister

of the provisional Government of Israel, sent a cable to the United

Nations Security Council requesting the admission of Israel to the

United Nations. Subsequently, the General Assembly referred the matter

to the Ad Hoc Political Committee which invited a representative of the

Provisional Government of Israel to take part in the discussion.

Several Delegations made statements and cross-examined Mr. Abba Eban

about the position of the Government of Israel regarding the

implementation of the General Assembly resolutions 181 (11), resolution

194 (Ill), and resolution 212 (Ill). I

I 33

I The report of the Ad Hoc Committee was sent to the General AssemblYt summarizing the declarations of Abba Eban on the United

I Nations Resolutions. The General AssemblYt on May 11, 1949 t adopted I REsolution 273 (Ill) admitting Israel to membership in the United Nations t which stated the following: I "Noting furthermore the declaration by the State of Israel that it 'unreservedly accepts the obligations of the United Nations Charter I and undertakes to honour them from the day when it becomes a Member of the United Nations t ' I "Recalling its resolutions of 29 November 1947 and 11 December I 1948 and taking note of the declarations and explanations made by the representative of the Government of Israel before the Ad Hoc Political I Committee in respect of the implementation of the said resolutions t "The General Assembly decides to 'admit- Israel to membership in I the United Nations." From the discussion in the Ad Hoc Committee and the explanations

I of the representative of Israel and the terms of the General Assembly I resolution to admit Israel to United Nations Membershipt it is clear that Israel's admission to the United Nations was conditional on the

implementation of resolutions 181 (11) of the 29 of November 1947 and ­ resolution 194 (Ill) of 11 December 1948 regarding its boundaries t I other provisions regarding the Arab minoitYt the return of the Arab

refugees who wish to return t and compensation of those who do not wish ­I to return. I - I I 34 I JABER: Did the Palestinians form a Palestine Government in 1948? I IN: On the 1st of October 1948 the Arab Higher Committee for Palestine convened a conference in Gaza and invited I important Palestinian leaders and representatives of professional I unions such as doctors, lawyers, engineers and workers. Eighty five Palestinian leaders met in Gaza and formed the National Council. I It decided to draft a Constitution for the Government of all of Palestine. Messrs. Akram Zuiter, Issa Nakhleh and Anwar Nussibeh I were entrusted with drafting that Constitution. The National Council appointed the Government for all of Palestine as follows: Ahmed Hilmi I Pasha Abdul Baki, Prime Minister; Jamal Husseini, Minister of Foreign I Affairs; Michel Abcarious, Minister of Finance; Owini Abdul Hady, Minister of Social Affairs; Rajai El Husseini, Minister of Defence; I Dr. Hussein El-Khalidi, Minister of Health; Sulaiman Tuqqan, Minister of Communications; Dr. Fouti Freij, Minister of Economy; Ali Hassna, ­ Minister of Justice; Josephsan~~n~ Minister of Information; and I Amin Aql, Minister of Agriculture. The National Council made a declaration about the independence of Palestine and the Prime Minister made a declaration about the objectives - of his Government. Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia recognized the Whole Palestine - Government, but. Iraq and Jordan refused to recognize it and objected - to the formation of the Palestinian Government because King Abdullah wanted to join Palestine to his Kingdom. The British Government, - under the influence of Jordan and Iraq, advised Egypt to remove the Grand Mufti of Palestine and the Palestine Government from Gaza to - Cairo, Egypt. - I I 35 The Government of Egypt ordered the Egyptian Military Governor I of Gaza to remove the Grand Mufti of Palestine Raj Amin El Husseini and I Members of the Palestine Government to Cairo, Egypt. And this is what he did. The Government of Palestine became a Member of the Arab League I and the Palestine Prime Minister always attended the sessions of the Council of the League of Arab States. Under the influence of the I British Government and the United States Government the Arab States I did not pay the budget of the Palestine Government and consequently it became only a nominal exile government with no administration or I means of support. I JABER: The Arab League formed the Liberation Army under the leadership of General Fawzi El-Kawukji to be in command of operations I in Galilee and Samaria. What did this army do? I IN: There was a great dispute between Britain and the Arab League. Britain did not want this army to enter Palestine while British forces were in the country. Britain insisted also that this - army should operate only in the land in Palestine which was given to - the Arab State in the Partition Resolution. In February, 1948 this ~ army entered Palestine and was responsible for public order in the middle of Palestine. Britain withdrew its forces to the areas of the ~ Jewish settlements in order to protect them. Before entering Palestine Fawzi El-Kawukji was invited by King Abdullah of Jordan and met him in ~ Amman. It seems that King Abdullah did not want Kawukji to attack the ~ Zionists in the area allotted to the Jewish State in the Partition Resolution. ~ ~ I I 36 I The Liberation Army organized itself in several divisions and appointed commanders for each division in March, 1948. The Liberation I Army took part only in three battles against the Zionists. The first I battle was against a settlement near Beisan on February 16, 1948. Fighting continued for four hours. The Liberation Army failed to I occupy the settlement because of its strong defenses. The Zionists poured water around the settlement which made it difficult for the I Arab soldiers to advance. Thirty Arabs were killed and many were wounded in this battle. I The second battle was that of Mishmar Hamayek. El-Kawukji led I a battle against the settlement of Mishmar Hamayek on April 25, 1948. The Liberation Army bombarded the settlement with heavy guns and I destroyed several buildings. The Zionists requested help from the British Army which arrived and arranged a truce with Kawukji for 24 I hours. Kawukji agreed again to extend the truce for another 24 hours. The Zionists brought heavy weapons and a large armed force and forced I the Liberation Army to withdraw to Jenin. Many Arabs and Zionists were I killed and injured, but the numbers were not known. The Liberation Army tried to help Haifa and Jaffa in their struggle against the Zionists, but that help was small and ineffective. - El-Kawukji was permanently in touch with King Abdullah of Jordan, - who invited him to Amman and gave him the title of Pasha and requested him to withdraw his army out of Palestine. On May 17, 1948 El-Kawukji - transferred his forces to the Jordanian and Iraqi Army and withdrew to Syria. He was a Lebanese of Syrian nationality. - After the Liberation Army withdrew to Syria it was reorganized - and sent to Galilee in Palestine e~rca:-May 20th. - I I 37

I Some forces of the Liberation Army entered into a battle with the Zionists on June 6, 1948 near the settlement of Maikieh and won

I against the Zionist forces. But it failed to help the people of Acre I and Safed when they were attacked by the Zionists. Some of its forces went to Nazareth on June 10, 1948. The people were very happy I and requested the Iraqi Army, which was stationed in Jenin, to help them against Zionist forces. But the United Nations Security Council I ordered a cease fire on June 14, 1948. The Zionists did not accept the cease fire and attacked the forces of the Liberation Army near

I Shajara village near Tiberias. Battles between the forces of the I Liberation Army and the Zionists continued for several months. On July 15 the Zionists won the battle against the Arabs, and on July I 16, 1948 the Zionists occupied Nazareth. The Liberation Army remained stationed in some villages in Algalil District such as Majd Alkurum,

I Sakhnin, Dilon, Foradah, and Tarshiha until November 1948. The I Zionists attacked the forces of the Liberation Army in these areas and finally obliged it to withdraw out of Palestine in November 1948. I The remaining forces of the Liberation Army went to Syria but I finally it was disbanded. Contact of the Jewish Agency with El-Kawukji I Avi Shlaim, in his book, Co~lusion Across the Jordan (p. 157-8), states that Yehoshua Palmon took permission from Ben Gurion to visit

I El-Kawukji. Shlaim states that "Palmon was aware of the bitter grudge I which Kawukji bore the Mufti of Palestine, Haj Amin El-Husseini. Back in 1947 Palmon had found wartime German documents bearing on this feud and I he had put them in Kawukji's direction.1! These documents claimed that I I 38 I the Mufti was instrumental in putting Kawukji in prison in Germany. I Shlaim continues, "Palmon went to see Kawukji at the latter's headquarters in the village of Nur Shams on April 1, 1948 ... When

I Palmon mentioned Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini, the mufti's cousin who I commanded the Palestinian Army of Jihad in the Jerusalem area, and Hassan Salameh, who had his headquarters in Ramleh, Kawukji interjected I that they could not count on any help from him and, indeed, he hoped the Jews would teach them a good lesson."

I El Kawukji kept his word to the Jews and did not send any help I from the Liberation Army to help Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini in Jerusalem, and in the battle of Kastel during which Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini I ',assassinated: by Zionist agents. Kawukj i did not send any help either to Hassan Salameh in the Ramleh area. I JABER: Did the Zionists commit terrorism against the British I Mandatory Government in Palestine as a protest against the White Paper of 1939 which granted Palestine independence as a unitary democratic ­ state? I IN: Zionist leaders in Palestine, in protesting against the British White Paper of 1939, instructed the terrorist organizations,

I the Haganah, the Irgun Z'vai Leumi and the Stern Gang to carry out I acts of terrorism against the British Mandatory Government in Palestine, and against the Palestinians.

The following is a summary showing the type of terrorism ­ committed by the Zionist terrorists. blowing up of trains and bridges; I killing British soldiers, officers and policemen; killing Arabs; taking

and J 'tnrt'uring hostages i robbing jewelry stores, mostly diamonds and , . ­ -- ' I I 39 I gold; kidnapping of Jews; massacre of the King David Hotel (July 22,

I 1946); extortion of money from Jews and killing Jews for refusing to I contribute to terrorists; cutting telephone lines and blowing up of central exchanges; placing bombs in buildings, markets and roads which I killed or wounded Palestinian civilians passing by, members of British armed forces, and British and ARab policemen; robbing banks and killing

I people during robberies; placing bombs in railway stations, markets and I Government offices and exploding them, killing and injuring many people; assassination of British and Arab police officers; killing I Arab children; derailing railway cars; placing boobytraps which killed soldiers and Palestinian civilians; sniping at police and soldiers; I armed robbery of banks: placing trucks filled with explosives near buildings, destroying them and killing and wounding many people;

I filling cars with explosives (about 40 lbs) and exploding them by I remote control, killing and wounding soldiers, policemen and civilians. Some buildings and houses were completely destroyed; setting cars of I Jews and Arabs on fire and causing damage to passersby; kidnapping British officers and soldiers, flogging them, torturing them and

I humiliating them; and throwing bombs in cafes, killing and injuring many I people. Zionist terrorism started in 1939 and continued until 1948. I The cables of the British High Commissioner of Palestine to the Colonial Office stated that the Zionists in 1947 committed the I following terrorist acts: placing mines in government departments or I houses and exploding them by remote control devices, thereby killing many Briish and Palestinian officials and civilians; sabotaging the I Iraq Petroleum Company pipelines; attacking Government buildings during I I 40 I the night and placing explosives, thereby destroying nearby businesses I and injuring many civilians; placing bombs in British banks, such as Barclays Bank; blowing up military and police trucks; blowing up boats I used for transshipment of illegal immigrants; placing bombs near police headquarters in several cities; using mines to blow up oil trains;

I robbing of Jewish banks, such as the Palestine Discount Ban in Tel Aviv; I destruction of oil tanks owned by the Shell Oil Company; placing bombs in Arab cinemas, causing death and injury to several innocent I civilians; placing bombs in Arab cafes, and after exploding them by remote control, shooting at customers, killing and injuring many people;

I bombing railway stations and placing bombs on railway lines and I destroying trains; attack on Jewish owned restaurants whose owners refused to pay money to the terrorists; assassination of British military I officers and British and Arab police officers; placing incendiary bombs in Arab markets; throwing bombs from passing cars into ARab crowds; I killing and injuring many civilians; abduction of British officers

and soldiers as hostages, torturing, and in some cases, killing them, ­ among other criminal acts. I The Zionist terrorists committed similar crimes in 1948. Debates

in the House of Commons in London condemned these Zionist crimes. - Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister states in the House of Commons on November 17, 1944, inter alia, "If our dreams of Zionism are to end - in the smoke of assassins' pistols and our labours for its future to produce only a new set of gangsters worthy of Nazi Germany, many like • myself will have to reconsider the position we have maintained so • consistently and so long in the past." • • I I 41 I In July 1946, the British Government published a "Statement of Information Relating to Acts of Violence" that proves the connection I between the Jewish Agency and the other Zionist terrorist organizations. A Proposed Alliance Between the Stern Gang and Nazi Germany I On January 11, 1941, Avraham Stern proposed a formal military pact I between the National Military Organization, of which Yitzhak Shamir was a prominent leader, and the Nazi Third Reich. This proposal was I discovered after the war in the files of the German Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. It stated the following: I "The evacuation of the Jewish masses from Europe is a I precondition for solving the Jewish question, but this can only be made possible and complete through the settlement of these masses in I the home of the Jewish people, Palestine, and through the establishment of a Jewish state in its historical boundaries ... " I "The NMO, which is well-acquainted with the goodwill of the I German Reich government and its authorities towards Zionist activity inside Germany and towards Zionist emigration plans, is of the opinion I that: "1. Common interests could exist between the establishment of

I a New Order in Europe in conformity with the German concept, and the I true national aspirations of the Jewish people as they are embodied by the NMO. I "2. Cooperation between the new Germany and renewed folkish­ national Hebraium would be possible, and I "3. The establishment of the historical Jewish state on a I national and totalitarian basis, and bound by a treaty with the German Reich, would be in the interest of a maintained and strengthened I future German position in the Near East. I I 42 I "Proceeding from these considerations, the NMO in Palestine, under the condition that the above-mentioned national aspirations of I the Israeli freedom movement are recognized on the side of the German Reich, offers to actively take part in the war on Germany's side." I ("Proposal of the National Military Organization - Irgun Z'vai Leumi ­ Concerning the Solution of the Jewish Question in Europe and the

I Participation of the NMO in the War on the side of Germany." Original I text found in DAvid Yisraeli, The Palestine Problem in German Politics, 1889-1945, Ramat Gan: Bar Ilan University, 1974, pp. 315-17). I JABER: The Palestinians claim that Israel committed against them I War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, and Genocide. What were these crimes? I I IN: The Zionists violated the territorial integrity of Palestine and committed against the Palestinians war crimes, crimes I against humanity, crimes against peace and genocide. The Zionist leaders conspired to expel the Palestinian A~ab8 .from the areas they I occupied in 1948 by massacres and violence. Every town and village suffered from these crimes. In many villages the Hagana and/or the

I Irgun Z'vai Leumi ordered the villagers to assemble in one place, and I kil~ed twenty or thirty people in front of the whole village, informing the surviving villagers that if they did not leave in the trucks waiting ~ for them, they would all be killed. The Zionists drove these trucks to the borders of Lebanon, Syria or Joran, and at gunpoint forced the

I Palestinians to cross the frontiers. The total Palestinian population J expelled from 1948 to 1950 was 850,000 men, women and children. I 43

The Zionist leaders committed hundreds of premeditated massacres for political reasons. The following are only examples: the King David Hotel massacre of July 22, 1946; the Semiramis Hotel massacre of January 5, 1948; the Deir Yassin massacre of April 9, 1948; the Dawayma massacre of October 29, 1948; the Kibya massacre of October 14, 1953; the Kafr Kassim massacre of October 29, 1956; the massacre of the USS Liberty of June 8, 1967; and the Sabra and Shati1a refugee camp massacres of September 16-18, 1982. Zionist leaders erased from the map of Palestine 492 Palestinian Arab small towns and villages and Bedouin localities and usurped and destroyed all the Palestinians' houses and usurped all their lands in' order to build Jewish settlements on their sites. The Zionists also usurped 90% of all Arab houses, apartments, commercial buildings and industrial plants in 12 Arab towns and cities. The Zionist leaders committed looting, pillage and spoliation of the personal and real properties of Palestinians in 12 cities and 492 towns and villages from 1948 to 1967. They looted and pillaged furtniture, carpets, personal effects, jewe1ry, appliances, all movable possessions belonging to Palestinians, including all goods and merchandise in stores and commercial buildings. Zionist leaders committed the destruction, desecration and usurpation of Muslim and Ch~istian Holy Places and the violation of Muslim and Christian Religious Rights. From 1948 to 1950 the Zionist forces completely destroyed and erased 480 Muslim mosques and converted 14 Muslim mosques into factories, clubs or buildings used for other non-religious purposes. They completely destoryed 410 Muslim cemeteries, bulldozing all of the ,stqnes_alld-.t'"emains. The Hilton Hotel in Te1 Aviv was built on the Abed Al Nabi Muslim cemetery. 44 Zionist leaders committed the destruciton and desecration of Christian Holy Places and the violation of Christian religious rights. They desecrated hundreds of Christian churches and cemeteries. Monsignor Thomas MacMahon, Secretary of the Catholic Near EAst Association of New York, in his appeal to the United Nations Secretary General on August 20, 1948 stated: 'There was constantly some violations and desecrations of Catholic holy places. The Associated Press report of August 19, 1948 confirmed that Jewish forces perpetrated criminal acts against 12 Roman Catholic institutions in Northern Palestine... Seven churches, convents and hospitals have been looted by Jews and others seized by force. 11 The Zionists also dynamited and smashed open most of the graves, marble crosses, angels' wings and inscriptions in the tombs in the Greek Orthodox cemetery on Mt. Zion. The Catholic cemetery on Mt Zion received similar treatment. The Very Reverend FAther Andres, Procurator General in the Holy Land, stated: "The Jews actually dragged the corpses out of the tombs and scattered the coffins and remains of the dead all around the cemetery." In 1952 the Zionists blew up the Christian village of Ikret and its churches and schools. In 1953 the Zionists destroyed the Christian village of Kafr Bur'om in Galilee together with its churches and schools.

JABER: What happened in Palestine after the Partition Resolution 181 (II) was adopted? Did war start between the Palestinians and the Zionists? 45

IN: I was in New York in 1947 and 1948 and followed the war between the Palestinians and the Zionists in American newspapers and Arabic newspapers and made releases in the United Nations, which was then at Lake Success. In order to give you a summary of the war, I revised the following three books: 1) the book of Dr. Izaat Tanous, a great Palestinian patriot who was taking part in that war 1947-1948; 2) the diaries of Bahjat Abu Gharbieh, a soldier in the Palestine Army; and 3) the diaries of the famous Palestinian historian Arif Al-Arif who followed all of the events. I have also used books published by Israeli authors, and I shall give a summary of the events. The Partition Resolution was rejected by the Palestinians and by the Arab States. The Arab Higher Committee for Palestine called for a general strike by Palestinians for three days, December 2-4, 1947. Demonstrations were held in all Palestinian cities, towns and villages and in the capitals of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Morocco. Hostilities between the Palestinians and the Zionists existed since 1921. Zionist terrorists from 1939 to 1948 carried out terrorist acts against the British Government in Palestine and the Palestinians. In 1947 war between the Palestinians and the Zionists became even more serious, because the Zionists mobilized all of their forces and brought more than thirty thousand Zionist Jewish volunteers ,f;om Britain, Germany, the United States, Canada, Russia and other European countries to participate in the fighting. Many of them had military experience and some of them were senior officers with 46

command experience. Others were skilled in then advanced weapons use. The Zionists were able to obtain large quantities of weapons, while the Palestinians were unable to obtain comparable weapons. The battle of Beit Safafa.On December 25, 1947, Zionist forces attacked the village of Beit Safafa, near Jerusalem, and tried to occupy it, but they were repulsed. The battle of Lifta. On December 27, 1947 Zionist forces attacked the village of Lifta, near Jerusalem. They destroyed several houses and a beverage factory, and threw a bomb at a cafe in the village. The Zionists attacked Lifta again on December 29th, and killed several Arabs in the cafe of the village. Four Zionists were killed, but they were able to destroy several Arab homes and the owners became refugees and left to Beit Safafa and Ramallah. Bab Al-Khalil section of Jerusalem. On December 29th Zionists threw a barrel full of dynamite in the Bab Al-Khalil Quarter of Jerusalem. On January 7, 1948 they did the same thing again. Nineteen Arabs were killed and thirty six were injured. The Battle of Qatamon. On January 5, 1948 a big force of Zionists attacked Qatamon, an Arab Quarter of Jerusalem and blew up the Semiramis Hotel. 18 Palestinians were killed, many of whom were women and children, and twenty were injured. Many residents of Qatamon wre terrorized and started leaving the Quarter as refugees. Kfar Etsion Jewish Settlement. The Zionists in Kfar Etsion were constantly shooting on Palestinian cars and buses running between Hebron and Jerusalem. At one time they shot at the car of the Iraqi Consul General. Palestinian soldiers attacked the settlement on I I 47 I January 15, 1948, but they could not occupy it and lost fourteen dead and twenty four wounded. On May 13, 1948 the Palestinians attacked I Kfar Etsion, occupied the settlement and were able to kill 250 Zionist soldiers. When the fate of Kfar Etsion was known, three I other Jewish settlements in the area surrendered without fighting. I Beit Nabala Battle. On January 14, 1948 Palestinian soldiers attacked Zionist cars a;nd trucks running between Jerusalem and Jaffa. I Twelve Zionists were killed and sixty were injured. The Palestinians burnt all of their cars and buses. I Surif Battle. On January 17, 1948 the Palestinians of Surif village discovered a big Zionist force of the Haganah passing by their

I village. A battle started between Palestinians and Zionists and I lasted for one day. Forty Zionists and four Arabs were killed in that battle. The second day a big Zionist force came to evacuate the I dead and a battle started again between the Haganah and the Palestinains, which lasted several hours. Thirteen Zionists and four Arabs were

I killed. After this battle Zionists called for the evacuation of I Jewish settlements in the area. Beit Surik Battle. On January 15, 1948 a battle started I between Palestinians and Zionist forces near this village, which is near the Jerusalem to Jaffa road. The battle lasted for seven hours, I and the Zionists withdrew with 34 killed and 29 wounded. Five Arabs I were killed in this battle. The Palestinians carried the bodies of the dead Jews to Ramallah and delivered them to the British. I Attacks on Jaffa, Haifa, Tiberias and Safed. During December of 1947 and January of 1948, Zionist forces were constantly attacking I the cities of Jaffa, Haifa, Tiberias and Safed. Jaffa is near Tel I I 48 I Aviv, which had two hundred thousand Jews. The Zionist gangs were constantly attacking the Quarters of the City of Jaffa. The Zionists I attacked several villages near Tel Aviv. They expelled the Palestinian inhabitants from six villages and destroyed their homes. But the

I Zionists failed on the villages near Jaffa, namely Abu Ker,Tell I EI-Rish, Salamah and Al Abasieh. The Zionists exploded a car near the Government offices in Jaffa on January 4, 1948. They destroyed I the building, Barclay's Bank, many other buildings and shops in the street. Seventeen Arab civiliaIls were killed, many of them women

I and children, and one hundred Arabs were injured, mostly women and I children. Haifa. Arabs and Jews were living in Haifa. The Zionists I started since December 12, 1947 attacking the Palestinian villages near Haifa. Zionists attacked AI-Tireh village on December 12, 1947, I the cityof Shafa Amr on December 19, 1947. On December 30, 1947 the Zionists threw bombs at the Arab workers in Haifa and killed six and

I injured 42. Arab workers attacked the Zionists with knives and sticks I and killed 41 Zionists. The Haganah attacked again the city of Shafa Amr and killed 17 Arabs and injured 33. On January 14, 1948 Arabs I threw bombs at the Haifa Post Office and killed six Zionists. They were able to blow up a Zionist car full of Zionist in Hashomir Street.

I Several Jewish and Arab buildings were destroyed. On January 16, 1948 I Zionists blew up an Arab residential building of three stories in Salah Eddin Street. More than twenty Arabs were killed and injured. I On January 19, 1948 the Zionists attacked the city of Shafa Amr again and several Arabs were killed or wounded. On January 29, 1948,

I Zionists threw a barrel full of dynamite on the Abesia Arab quarter I in Haifa and many Arab houses were destroyed and ten Arabs were killed. Although the Zionist forces were stronger in firepower, the Arabs of I I 49 I Haifa drove them away. I Tiberias. Although the number of Jews in Tiberias was larger than the Arabs, the Arabs were able to resist Zionist attacks in I January 1948. I Safed. The Zionists in Safed were about one quarter of the population. The Arabs were unable to defeat the Zionists because I they were well armed. The Palestine Government issued statistics on casualties that I took place in the two months from November 30, 1947 to January 10, 1948 I as follows: 1903 casualties, killed or injured, 1050 Arabs, 750 Jews and 103 British. I JABER: There were several explosions in Jerusalem in February and March of 1948. What were these explosions? I IN: Palestinians wanted to avenge the explosions made by I the Zionists in the Semiramis Hotel and in the street of Bab A1amud twice and in Bab El Khalil and other Arab streets so they prepared to

I make retaliatory explosions on some Jewish streets as follows: I a. Explosion of Hasolil Street Palestinians prepared two cars. One was full of explosives and the I other was used by fighters. On February 1, 1948 they exploded the car in Hasolil Street which destroyed the building of the Palestine

I Post Newspaper and eig~t other buildings. more than 40 other houses I were destroyed. Twenty Jews were killed and fifty more injured. Three hundred Jews left their homes which were destroyed. Fire started in I the street and continued for three days. Jewish, British, and Arab fire engines were used to quench the fire. I b. Montefiore Jewish Quarter I I 50 I The Montefiore Jewish Quarter was in the midst of Arab Quarters. I Zionists used to fire on Palestinian cars and individuals. On the 10th of February, 1948 they killed two Arabs and destroyed two

I Arab buildings. On February 12th the Palestinians attacked this I Jewish Quarter and they were fought fiercely by Palmach soldiers. But the Palestinians were able to enter the Quarter and destroyed several I buildings. Twenty Zionists were killed and fifty more injured. Six Arabs were killed and seven were injured. The Palestine Police

I arrived and drove oaf the Palestinians from the Quarter. On March I 23, the Palestinians attacked the Montefiore Quarter another time. They exploded a barrel which destroyed and damaged many buildings. I c. Ben Yahuda Street On FebrUl:t'!: y 22, 1948 Palestinians attacked Ben Yahuda Street, I the most important Jewish street in Jerusalem. They arrived with three cars full of dynamite. They had four British Army armoured cars they

I had stolen from a British Army garage. Palestinians were dressed in I British Army uniforms. They exploded the three cars in the middle of Yahuda Street, destroying many buildings. The Government stated I that 49 Zionists were killed and 132 were injured. But the Zionists stated that 74 were killed and 200 were injured. Some of the

I buildings which were damaged were the Atlantic Hotel, Hotel Androski, I the Histradut Building, two Jewish banks and other commercial buildings. 'd. Palestinians blew up the Jewish Agency Building I On Marcb 11, 1948 Palestinians exploded the building of the Jewish AGency which contianed all the Jewish Agency Departments. Antoun

I Dadoud, a Palestinian from Bethlehem, was working as a driver of the I Americar' ConEulate. He used the car of the American Consul General and put a big amount of explosives in it and entered the building of I I I 51 the Jewish Agency. The detonator for the dynamite was connected I with a watch, which exploded on time after the driver left. The whole building was destroyed. Thirty six important employees in

I the. Jewish Agency were killed and 25 were injured. This was a I big blow to the Zionist establishment in Jerusalem and Palestine. JABER: What other battles took place in Jerusalem after I that time?

I IN: The Zionist forces attacked Almusrara Quarter after I the explosion on Ben Yahuda Street. They used 2" and 3" mortars. These mortar shells killed and injured many Palestinian civilians and I destroyed several buildings. On March 13, 1948 Palestinians attacked Mikor Hayim I Jewish Quarter, but they failed to occupy it because British police intervened and forced the Pale stinians to withdraw.

I The Battle of Shufat I Jewish settlements north of Jerusalem were constantly shooting at Palestinian cars going to Sheikh Jarah and Shufat. The I Palestinians, on March 21, 1948 noticed a group of many Zionist cars passing the village of Shufat and shooting weapons at the village.

I On March 24, 1948 Palestinians nc,ticed another Zionist I group composed of two Zionist tanks and many cars. The Palestinians attacked·the Zionists and destroyed. tube, two tanks and many of the I cars. 14 Zionist soldiers and 14 Palestinian soldiers were killed in that battle. British police came to the village and saved the rest of

I the Zionists in that force. I On the same day Palestinians saw a Zionist group of 60 cars on the Jerusalem-Jaffa road. The Palest.inians fought members I 52

of the Haganah for twenty hours, but the Zionists were able to

arrive at Jerusalem after losing fifteen men. Dheisha Battle

On March 27, 1948 a Zionist force of 59 Army cars and tanks

left Jerusalem to go to Kfar Reim. Palestinians met these Zionist

forces Ln Dheisha. They constructed barriers in its road. Palestinians

attacked the Zionist force from all sides. In the mornings of March

28th, three Zionist airplanes dropped ammunition and supplies to

the surrounded Zionist force. The Zionist planes were shot down.

The Zionists became desperate and requested the intervention of

British Forces. Negotiations with the British started and Palestinians

accepted to release the Zionist forces provided all their weapons were

given to the Palestinians. Palestinians thereby obtained three tanks,

eight buses, thirty trucks, 170 rifles and small arms and large quantitLes of ammunition and explosives. Many Zionists were killed

in that battle and twelve Palestinian soldiers were also killed.

The British Army took to Jerusalem 150 disarmed Zionist soldiers

and eighty six women.

Number of killed ar:d injuH~d. The British Government issued a report about the persons killed

11 and injured from No,,-ember 29, 1947 until March 1948 as follows: I Total killed: 2,635 of whom 1,700 were Arabs and 935 were Jews, and 140 British. ThE wCiUndc:!d were 3,552 of Arabs and Jews and 33 were I British. I I I 53

JABER: There were rumors that the Pa1estinians were victorious against the Zionists until the 30th of March, 1948. What is the truth of these rumors?

IN; It is true that until March 30, 1948 the Palestinian forces were victorious against Zionist forces. They won every battle against the Haganah, Palmach, Irgun and the Stern Gang. The Palestinians cut

Jerusalem off from Tel Aviv. The Zionists in Jerusalem were desperate, with hardly any food and dwindling supplies, and they were surrounded by Palestinian forces. David Ben Gurion testified to these facts in his book, REBIRTH AND DESTINY OF ISRAEL. He stated in page 234 that at a meeting of the Zionist Executive on April 6, 1948 he said the following:

"The Jews in the Old City have been beleaguered for months,

Jewish Jerusalen hG.8 been partly cut off all the time, for ten days marooned entirely, and the danger of famine still threatens it. Almost all the roads are beset, and any Jew using them risks his life, settlements in Gali]ee and Samaria, in the Jordan Valley, Judea and the Negev have been raided, sometimes in great force, and in Haifa,

Jaffa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem there are incidents day and night.

Thousands of armed Arabs, many_ of them regular, both officers and men, have invaded Palestine, and their number is growing -- public services already are chaotic. Effeetive Administration has·ceased, functions are collapsing and distintegrating. JI JABER: When did the tide turn against the Palestinians in these battles between the Palestinains and the Zionist forces?

IN: The tide turned against the Palestinian forces in April of 1948, for the following reasons: 1. Palestinians became short of weapons. A great deal of the weapons they bought did not reach them. They were confiscated by the British Forces and some of them were even confiscated by some Arab Governments.Abd El Qadr El Husseini, leader of the Palestinian

Army ofS~cred Jihad went to Damascus to obtain some weapons from the Military Committee of the League of Arab States, but returned empty handed on April 6, 1948. 2. The Zionists obtained big quantities of weapons from the British. On April 4, 1948 the Irgun soldiers invaded the British Military Camp near the Jewish settlement of Bardes and carried out many rifles, anti-tank rockets and large quantities of ammunition. After two weeks Zionist forces invaded a train carrying big quantities of British weapons from Artouf to Haifa. The train was guarded by forty British soldiers who did not resist the Zionist attackers, but helped them to unload the weapons from the train into Zionist trucks. The weapons were mortars and ten thousand mortar shells. 3. On April 1, 1948 a ship arrived in Haifa with weapons sent from Czechoslovakia, including 4,500 rifles, 2,000 machine guns, and much ammunition. The following day another ship arrived with more arms from Czechoslovakia, delivering 4,000 rifles, 200 machine guns and large quantities of ammunition. The Zionists acquired Czechoslovak made Messerschmidt fighter aircraft, and British built Spitfires. Eighty nine fighter aircraft were acquired from Czechoslovakia together 55 with trained volunteers of pilots and crews along with trained maintenance staff, and a brigade of Jewish military volunteers. They bought twelve heavy mortars from SWitzerland and sent them to Zionist forces in Palestinei!.

4. On April 14 British soldiers left Te1 Lewihsky Military C~mp.

The British informed the Palestinians that they would withdraw f~om the camp on the 13th or 14th of April. Palestinian soldiers came to the camp in the morning of April 15th, but they were confronted by

Zionist soldiers who were already in the Camp. They killed fifty Aiabs soldiers and occupied the camp and carried out all its weapons.

5. The League of Arab States formed the Army of Liberation under the leadership of Fawzi A1 Kawukji. Kawukj i was contacted by

Jewish Agency agent Yehoshua. Pa1mon, adviser to Ben Gurion on Arab affairs, who requested Kawukji not to help the Palestinian forces under

Abd e1 Qadr E1-Husseini and ~ Sheikh Hassan Sa1ama. Kawukji promised

Pa1mon that they will get no help whatsoever from the Army of Liberation, and he hoped that the Jews would teach the Palestinian forces a good lesson. Kawukji kept his promise to Pa1mon. When Sheikh Hassan

Sa1ama's headquarters in Ram1eh was blown up by the Zionists, although an Arab Liberation Army contingent with heavy guns was present in the neighborhood they did not go to the rescue. The next was the battle of Caste11 in which Abde1 Qadr E1-Husseini was murdered by

Zionist agents. Shortly before his death, Abde1Qadr e1-Husseini telephone e1..Kawukj i and requested an urgent supply of arms and ammunition to stop the Zionist offensive. Although Kawukji had a large supply of military materiale, he replied that he had none, This proved that Kawukji was disloyal to his Palestinian comrades in arm. 56

6. King Abdullah of Jordan had the ambition to annex the portion of

Palestine defined by the Partition Resolution for an Arab State.

Therefore~ he responded to the request of Zionist leaders to meet him to make such an agreement. King Abdullah met Shertok, Elias Sassoon,

Golda Meier, and Reuven Shiloah~ and made an agreement with them that the Jordanian Army will not attack the Jewish areas allotted to the

Jewish State in the Partition Resolution and that it will limit itself to defense. Therefore, the Jordanian Army~ under the command of Glubb

Pasha~ who was a British officer taking instructions from the British, was instrumental in sabotaging the Palestinian war efforts and assisting the Zionists.

7. The massacre of Deir Yassin on April 10, 1948 in which the

Zionists terrorists killed over 250 Palestinian men, women and children was a great tragedy which influenced many Palestinians in cities~ towns and villages to leave their homes when they were threatened by Zionist soldiers and when the Zionists committed massacres against residents of these cities, towns and villages. The Zionists often fired mortar shells on cities, towns and villages aiming to kill civilians to frighten the other inhabitants into leaving.

8. The murder of Abdel Qadr el Husseini, commander of the Palestinian

Army of Jihad Al Mukadas during the battle of Castal: was a great shock and demoralizing blow to the Palestinian forces and population.

The Zionist Intelligence planned and orchestrated the murder. Their agents shot Abdel Qadr el Husseini in the back while he was entering

·Castal.

JABER: Tell us something about the battle of Gasta~? 57

IN: On April 3, 1948 Zionist forces occupied the village of

Castalon the Jaffa-Jerusalem road. They expelled all of its

inhabitants and the British forces did not intervene. Soldiers

in the Palestinian A~~~ Jihad Army attacked these Zionist forces on

, r" April 4th and 6th, but the Zionists brought in reinforcements with

ar.more.d;racks, to prevent the Arab advance into Cas.tal... Zionist I forces also occupied Der Muhsin and Khuldah and were able to send big shipments with forty tanks to the Zionist forces in Jerusalem.

I Abdel Qadr Husseini came back from Damascus and ordered his forces I to surround Castal On April 7, 1948 Palestinian Arab soldiers attacked the Zionist forces in Castal and were able on April 8th to enter the I village from alQ sides and occupy it and defeat the Zionist forces. They raised the Palestinian flag on the highest building in the

I village. Abdel Qadr el Husseini was then shot in the back by Zionist I agents. Palestinian soldiers followed the retreating Zionist soldiers I and killed more than 50 in addition to those who were killed in the battle. The Zionist forces came back with greater numbers, but they r were defeated and 70 more Zionists were killed. However, many of the Arab soldiers left the village for

I the funeral of Abdel Qadr El Husseini. A large Zionist force came I· back to Castal, accompanied by British soldiers, and on April 9 the Zionists were able to reoccupy Castel again and they destroyed f most of its houses and the Islamic Mosque. r JABER: Tell us more about the Deir Yassin massacre. r r 58

IN: Zionist forces attacked Deir Yassin. which is on the outskirts of Jerusalem, on April 9, 1948. There were in the village 85 armed Palestinian men of its inhabitants. They defended the village very strongly and they were able to kill more than 100 of the attacking Zionists. Zionist forces, including Irgun and

Stern Gang forces, attacked Deir Yassin again on April 10th. They barbaricly massacred 250 noncombatant Palestinian Arab men, women and children, many of them in their homes. Even Zionist Jon Kimche, states: "The Massacres of Deir Yassin was the darkest stain on the

Jewish record throughout all the fighting. Just as they (the Jewish terrorists) claimed credit for the British decision to leave Palestine as being the result of the terrorists attack on British troops, so later they justified the massacre of Deir Yassin because it led to the panic flight of the remaining Arabs in the Jewish State and lessened the Jewish casualties."

JABER: What happened to the other important Palestinian cities?

IN: Tiberias. The Haganah attacked Tiberias many times but failed to occupy the city. The British soldiers were in the Tigert building in the city, and did not intervene. However, the British forced a cease fire for three days - the 16, 17, and 18 of April, 1948.

On April 19th, Zionist forces of the Haganah and Irgun attacked the city with a large force. Zionist forces committed the massacre of the village of Nasr Eddin, in the suburbs of Tiberias. The news of this massacre shocked the Palestinians of Tiberias and they were very afraid of becoming victims of a similar massacre. The Palestinians contacted the British, but the British told them that they could not defend them, but they are willing to help evacuate the entire Arab 59

population of Tiberias, which they did by providing trucks and

buses and evacuated the people of Tiberias on April 19th. The Zionists immediately occupied the city.

Haifa. There was in Haifa 75,000 Jews and 62,500 Arabs. Haifa was surrounded by Jewish settlements. Fighting between the

Zionists and the Arabs started from December 2, 1947 until April 22,

1948. The Arabs won all battles against the Zionists during that

period. However, the biggest battle was from April 21st until April

24th, 1948 British forces were spread all over the city of Haifa,

with their tanks. Zionists started blowing up Arab buildings and

Arabs were blowing up Jewish buildings. British soldiers used to

come to these buildings and steal valuables. On April 21, 1948

Arab soldiers felt that they were short of weapons. The Arab Committee

in Haifa requested the assistance of the British army, but the British

Army refused. The British told the Arabs, "If you do not want to be

exterminated, you have to make a cease fire with the Zionists. Majo~

General Stockwell, commander of British forces, met representatives

of the Palestinians and the Zionists, and arranged for a cease fire,

but the conditions of the cease fire were not acceptable to the Arabs.

On April 22, another meeting was arranged by the British between

representatives of the Arabs and the Zionists. An agreement was

reached for a cease fire, but the Zionists did not keep the agreement

and attacked Arab residential areas and killed thousands of Palestinian

civilians and robbed their homes. British forces refused to intervene.

The Arab residents were terrified and most left the city as refugees. I The British were instrumental in the Arab defeat in Haifa and the evacuation of the people. 150 armed Arabs were killed and 350 were

I injured in the battle for Haifa, but 300 Arab civilians were killed I or injured. I

I 60 I JABER: What happened to the city of Jaffa? I IN: Jaffa was part of the Arab State according to the Partition Resolution, but the Zionists always wanted to occupy it. I Jaffa did not have Arab soldiers but had an Arab Scout movement of five hundred young men and boys called Anajada. The Zionists had I many trained soldiers of the Haganah and the Irgun in Tel Aviv, near I Jaffa. The Irgun was commanded by Menachem Begin. The Zionists had many machine guns and mortars. The Arabs of Jaffa formed a I National Committee and a Defense Committee headed by Sheikh Hassan Salama, an experienced Palestinian soldier. Tel Aviv had 200,000 I Jewish inhabitants and Jaffa had 70,000 Arab inhabitants. Battles started between the Arab and Zionist forces of Tel Aviv from December

I 1947 until February of 1948. The Zionists repeatedly shelled many I quarters of Jaffa which were near Tel Aviv. The Arab armed men started using mortars, too, and shooting at Tel Aviv and were able I to destroy many Jewish buildings in Tel Aviv. Menahem Begin stated that the Arabs of Jaffa killed many Zionist soldiers and

I civilians and described Jaffa as"the cancer attached to Tel Aviv." I He said that Arab bombardment destroyed complete Jewish quarters and all of its residents left to nearby settlements. Thousands of families I went to different Jewish shelters. Thousands of Tel Aviv residents wre terrorized and hundreds started thinking to leave the country in

I boats they had in the port. The Zionists appealed to the British I authorities to force the Arabs to stop bombarding Tel Aviv. The Arab Armed forces in February 1948, more than 500 soldiers, but lacking I sufficient weapons and ammunition, tried to obtain supplies from the Arab Military Committee in Damascus, but failed. I ------I I 61 I On March 15, 1948 the Zionists started shelling Jaffa with heavy guns which they obtained from the United States and Europe. Some I weapons were obtained from British soldiers." The Zionists attacked many quarters of the city of Jaffa and destroyed many homes and shops I on March 31, 1948. A big battle was fought between the Haganah and Irgun on one side and the Arab soldiers on the other. The Arabs

I won the battle and captured many Zionist guns and armored cars. I The Zionists had among the Arabs some spies who were of Arab origin. The Zionists were obtaining big quantities of British I weapons. British Army and police visited Arab headquarters, claiming to be friends of the Arabs, but they were Zionist spies. Two days

I after the British visit the Zionists bombarded the Arab force I headquarters and destroyed it. Two Arab generals in Jaffa were in dispute with each other, and the Zionists were aware of the I differences between the different Arab committees. Zionist spies informed them of lack of weapons and ammunition. The Zionists robbed

I big quantities of weapons from the British military camp No. 80 on I April 4, 1948 and from a Government railway car near Kilo Four, between Hadeira and Binyamina. The British were cooperating with I the Zionists and gave them big guns, mortars and howitzers. The Zionists obtained British tanks and armored vehicles. The British

I offered t~ sell weapons to the Arab forces, but the Arabs were unable I to obtain the 30,000 Palestinian pounds requested as a price. Zionist forces made a strong attack on El Alrish in Jaffa on April 13th. But I the Arabs killed many of the Zionist attackers and repelled them. On April 24, 1948 the Zionists attacked Al Manshieh Quarter of Jaffa and I occupied the railway station and the police station, but the Arab I I 62

I forces forced the Zionists to withdraw and captured some weapons from I them. On April 25, 1948 a large force of 800 Zionist soldiers attacked Al Manshieh Quarter of Jaffa with heavy British guns, but I the Zionist attack, which lasted through April 28th failed. But the Zionist forces returned and attacked Jaffa again with heavy

I British guns that they had obtained from the British forces. The I Arab forces were now very short of ammunition and sent a delegation to Amman on April 24, 1948 to request military help from King Abdullah I of Jordan. He told them that he cannot help Jaffa except after the British withdrawal from Palestine on May 15th, 1948. The Zionist I attack on Jaffa during the nights of April 26, 27,and 28, using their artillery, prevented the residents of Jaffa from walking in the

I street. The Zionists started attacking Jaffa from all sides. On I April 28th Zionist forces reached the sea and separated AIManshieh from other streets. Haganah forces attacked Tel AIRish again on April I 27, but the Arab forces did not yield. The Arabs requested assistance from Damascus and the Chief of Staff of the Military Committee told

I them the assistance is on its way, but it never came. Jaffa was I originally given to the Army of Liberation of Fawzi el Kawukji, but Kawukji never even went to the city of Jaffa, nor did he send it I any military assistance, although it was in his command sector. Kawukji changed the military commander of Jaffa, Adel Najum Eddin,

I who was fighting successfully, replacing him with another military I leader, Michel El Issa of Jaffa. Some Arab military leaders went to Azour, a village not far from Tel Aviv and started bombarding Tel I Aviv with heavy guns and caused much damage. The Zionists requested the British to intervene and they imposed a truce. The Zionists

I attacked Jaffa on April 28th with big forces and heavy guns. I I 63 I They also deployed tanks, but they were defeated and withdrew. Arab I fighters captured six Zionist tanks but the Zionists occupied AlManshieh Quarter and destroyed many buildings, and killed many I civilians. Michel el Issa came with 247 Palestinian soldiers. Sheikh Hassan Salama and other Arab military leaders withdrew from Jaffa with

I their forces. Adel Najm.Eddin,~an'important military· leader, withdrevt'aIso I from Jaffa on April 30. The Zionists occupied the village of Salameh and due to their occupation of the port of Jaffa, robbers started I raiding shops and looting merchandise. At this time many of the Arab fighters started leaving Jaffa because of lack of ammunition, I leaving either by land or sea. Michel el Issa, the military commander, I informed El Kawukji of the extremely difficult situation in Jaffa, and requested military supplies and assistance, but El Kawukji refused to I answer the many urgent requests sent by El Issa. On April 30, 1948 El Issa met many leaders of the city of Jaffa in the home of I Mohammed Abdul Rahim in AlAjami and told the people to leave the city ' .. because of the bad military situation. Michel e1 Issa himself decided

'I.. '• I "to withdraw from Jaffa with the assistance of British forces who took I him in one of their tanks outside the city with 26 soldiers on May 5, 1948. Many men and many members of the National Committee left I Jaffa. Shops were closed and the residents who remained could not bury the dead. Many of the population of Jaffa fled as refugees

I because of Zionist terrorism. The British government sent a warning I to the Mayor of Tel Aviv that the Zionists should stop fighting in Jaffa, and sent airplanes and a ship to threaten Tel Aviv in order to stop the I fighting. The Zionists joined the British soldiers in looting shops and homes all over Jaffa. Four thousand residents of Jaffa remained

I in the city. The Hagana leader made an agreement with some Arab I leaders who were Ahmed Abu Laban, Saleh Al Nazer, A. Andrawas, I I 64 Saeed Abu Ziad, and Hussein Barakat. They were influenced by the

I British Governor, Mr. Fuller, and his assistant. The Arabs and I the Zionists accepted the proposal of the British to make Jaffa an open city. I On May 13, 1948 representatives of Jaffa and the leader of the Haganah signed an agreement to keep Jaffa an undefended city, I and that the Haganah will accept the Geneva Convention and not I harming the residents of Jaffa. But when the British withdrew from Jaffa on May 15th, the Zionists attacked Jaffa and occupied it, I violating the agreement they had just signed, imposing military law on the residents who remained, not more than 4,000 Palestinian I Arabs.

I JABER: What about the battles in Bab Alwad on the road between Jaffa and Jerusalem? I IN: The Bab AlwadRoad is situated 25 kilometers west of I Jerusalem in, the road between Jerusalem and Jaffa. Several roads connect it with Ramallah, Beit Jibrin, and Artuf. There are many

I villages around it, which are Imwas, Latrun and Tel Aljazar, Beit I Nube, Yalou, Deir Ayoub, Abu Shushah, Beit Nuya, Beit Mahsir, and Sarees. Battles started between the Zionists and the Palestinians I for controlling this road after the passing of the Partition Resolution. The Zionists used to send many cars, buses and trucks between Tel

I Aviv and Jerusalem, using this road. I The real battles started between the Zionists and the Arabs in March 1948. On March 1, 3, 12, 13, 17 and 19 the Arabs attacked I the Zionist convoys using this road. They killed 19 Zionists and wounded many and a Zionist tank was damaged. The Arabs capt~red I I I 65 I many weapons and killed 10 more Zionists. On March 22, 1948 the Arabs attacked another Zionist convoy. I They killed two drivers and damaged one car. The Zionists requested British help. The British placed British soldiers as guards and

I after March 23, 1948 the British soldiers protected the Zionist I convoys on this road. The Zionists were able in this period to send 1,500 Palmach soldiers to reinforce the Zionists in Jerusalem. I On March 24, the Arabs planted mines in the way of the Zionist convoys, and they killed 12 Zionists and injured 30. On March 31, I 1948 a convoy of forty zionist cars passed on the Jaffa-Jerusalem road. The Arabs attacked it and many Arabs and Zionists were killed.

I The Arabs were able to capture three Zionist tanks and many cars. I On April 1, 1948 there was a battle between the Zionists and the Arabs near the village of Sarees. The Zionists were able to occupy I this village, and destroyed thirty five houses, the Mosque and the school of the village. On April 16, 1948 a big Zionist caravan

I of 250 cars and trucks, carrying food and other supplies from Tel I Aviv to Jerusalem, and guarded by many soldiers and tanks. When the caravan reached the village of Deir Ayoub, the Arabs attacked it I from all sides. The Zionists tried to go back, but the Arabs closed all roads around them. When the Zionists realized they were in such

I a serious position, they fought the Arabs until,four p.m. Many I Arabs and Zionists were killed, but the Arabs were able to destroy 60 Zionist vehicles, and they were able to capture 15 cars and large I quantities of weapons and foodstuff. On April 17 and April 20 the

Zionists tried to pass convoys through this road J but the Arabs

I destroyed many cars and killed many Zionists. I 66

On April 25, the Arabs were able to close this road with large stones and Zionist convoys were unable to pass. The Arabs were able to control all of the roads leading to Jerusalem, from the west, east, south and north. The Arabs cut the water pipes of Ras

Al Ain which provided water to Jerusalem. Jerusalem became in a very serious situation for the Zionists. They were unable to reach

Jerusalem except by airplane.

On April 23 the Zionists increased their forces with volunteers who came from Europe and the United States and entered into the battle of Latrun with the Arab Forces which were composed of two batteries of the Jordanian Army, commanded by British officers. The

Zionists were also cammanded by a British officer, Peter Wolf, and

American Colonel Marcus, a professional soldier. The function of the Jordanian Army was defensive, and not attacking the Zionist forces.

Battles between Zionist forces and Arab forces took place on the 22, 23, and 25 of May, 1948. In this large battle, which lasted thirteen hours, Zionist forces retreated and left 266 dead and double that number wounded. The Arabs took six Haganah prisoners and captured large quantities of weapons. The Arabs found in the pockets of the dead Zionists papers proving that they were either, Russian,

Polish, American, Czechoslovakian, Italian or English citizens.

Several more battles took place between the Zionist forces and the Arabs on May 29, 30 , and 31 and on June 5, 6, 8 and 10 of 1948.

The Arabs won all of these battles, killing and wounding many Zionists, and capturing great quantities of weapons. After that, the first armistice was declared by the D.N. Security Council on June 11, 1948. 67

Otherwise, the Zionists would have surrendered Jerusalem.

When fighting started again on July 9, 1948 the situation had changed. The Zionists brought from outside the country many trained soldiers from the United States and Europe, and obtained heavy and sophisticated weapons. These well equipped Zionist forces attacked the Arab forces on July 16, but the Arab forces counter~attackedthe

Zionists and were able to force them to withdraw, killing more than

75 Zionist soldiers and wounding many. The Arabs defeated the

Zionists in all battles on July 16, 17, and 18th, but on July 18th the second armistice was declared by the li.N. Security Council and the, fighting stopped on July 19, 1948.

JABER: Tell us about the battles between the Arabs and the

Zionists in Jerusalem.

IN: I told you before about the battles for Jerusalem and that the

Arabs were winning all to battles in the Jerusalem area and the suburbs until the end of March, 1948. The massacre of Deir Yasin made many

Arabs leave their homes in different places because of their fear of being massacred by the Zionists.

The Zionists attacked the Qatamon Quarter and committed the massacre of the Semiramis Hotel. They attacked the Talbieh

Quarter near the Qatamon Quarter. The Irgun Z'wei Leumi gang started attacking Talbieh with armored cars and shouting in the streets that the inhabitants must leave or they shall be massacred. As there was no Arab defence in the Talbieh Quarter, many Arabs left their homes in fright.

The Palestine Truce Commission, composed of the Consuls 68

General of Belgium, France and the United States in Jerusalem, on

April 27, 1948, tried very hard to bring about a cease fire in

Jerusalem. However, their effort was obstructed by the British

High Commissioner, who, despite the fact that the Commission was appointed by the United Nations Security Council, refused to recognize their authority ..

The United Nations Trusteeship Council sent in April,. 1948 a temporary administrator to administer the Jerusalem International Zone.

But the British High Commissioner for Palestine would not grant him diplomatic status and he was thus unable to function and consequently had to return to United Nations headquarters in New York City.

The major Zionist attack on Qatamon Quarter in Jerusalem was launched on April 27.

Despite some reinforcements for the Palestinian Arabs defending

Qatamon, Ibrahim Abu-Dayeh, who was in charge of Qatamon's defence was forced to withdraw. He regrouped his forces in Beit Jala, where he mobilized three hundred men and proceeded to attempt to reoccupy

Qatamon. But as they approached Qatamon they were intercepted by the British Army and were ordered to stop and retreat. The residents of Qatamon were forced to leave their homes and leave all their belongings behind, which were looted by the Zionists.

On May 14, 1948, Capt. Abduallah Tal, commander of the

Jordanian Forces in Upper Bakaa, an important Quarter of Jerusalem, was ordered by Glubb Pasha to remove his forces to Jericho. A

Palestinian delegation met with King Abdullah in Amman and requested the king to return the Jordanian Forces to Jerusalem, but he refused to do so.

Arab Forces from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt entered Palestine on May 15, 1948 when the British withdrew. Captain Abdullah Tal, Jordanian officer, wanted to occupy the Kalia Potash Plantation on the Dead Sea, but was ordered by Glubb Pasha not to occupy it. On May 14, 1948, the Zionist forces had attacked the Arab quarters of Jerusalem on all fronts, despite the ceasefire agreement declared by the Truce Commision the day before. Heavy attacks were made on the Jaffa GAte, the Damascus Gate, the New GAte, the Nebi Daoud Gate and on Sheikh Jarrah. Having been informed by their spies that the Jordanian army regiment in Jerusalem was leaving on May 15, the Zionists immediately occupied the whole Upper and Lower Bakaa, the Greek Colony, Talbieh, and the Russian building with the Government Hospital and the Maternity Hospital. The great majority of the inhabitants of these quarters were either expelled or terrorized into leaving their homes and possessions. The adjacent Musrara quarter, Saad-wa-Saeed, Sheikh Jarrah and Bab Zahireh quarters remained in Arab hands. In the Zionist attack on the Jaffa Gate with tanks and armored ars, tens of them were destroyed by Palestinian anti-tank guns and Zionist casualties were in the hundreds. At the New Gate Palestinian forces repelled numerous Zionist attacks, but on May 18 were exhausted and relieved by a detachment of Kawukji's forces, who evacuated on the same day. At the Nebi DAoud Gate the relieving detachment of Kawukji1s forces evacuated the area after only 24 hours. By May 17 the ammunition supply of the Palestinian Arab defenders of Jerusalem, which included many former Palestinian police, was sorely depleted in the heavy fighting. 70

The Palestinians urgently requested ammunition from the the

Jordanian Army and from Al Kawukji, who promised to send them ammunition, but they never did.

Kawukji showed the Palestinian delegation a leter from King

Abdullah of Jordan ordering him to proceed to the north of Palestine with his force s.

When King Abdullah finally realized that the whole of Jerusalem

was about to fall .ho Zionist forces. the king ordered Jordanian

troops to save the Holy City from Jewish occupation.

The Arab people of Jerusalem were greatly relieved when they

learned that Jordanian Army troops were on their way to the Holy City.

Captain Abdullah Tal was elected Commander in chief of the

Arab forces defending Jerusalem. He was anti-Zionist and anti-Glubb

Pasha and revolted against him. The Jordanian regiment he

commanded was organized only for defense and not for offense. Glubb

Pasha made sure that he was not given the forces necessary to go on

the offensive. The Zionists tried hard to defend the Jewish Quarter

in the Old City, where 2,000 Jews and 500 Hagana soldiers were trapped.

In the Zionist attack on May 24th on the Nebi Daoud Gate, they

exploded a large bomb which shatr~ered the huge entrance gate, but

the Arab forces were prepared for them and prevented the Zionists

from penetrating the City Wall. The Zionists' losses in this attack

were so great that they did not try it again.

Up to May 14, 1948 the 2,000 Jewish inhabitants and five hundred

Hagana soldiers in the Jewish Quarter were sustained by weekly British

Army convoys. These weekly convoys supplied them with food and often with ammunition as well. Consequently, every house in the quarter had

been turned into a fortress. 71

On May 18, the whole Jewish quarter inside the Old City was in

smoke from bombing which Palestinian forces had been carrying out

for a few days. As a result, at ten a.m. on May 28, 1948 two

Zionists carrying a white flag left the Jewish Quarter and walked

toward the Palestinian soldiers. These two envoys said they were

sent to make arrangements to surrender. The two envoys wre rabbis.

Tal immediately sent one of the rabbis with an escort to bring a

Zionist delegation to make the surrender. This Zionist delegation

accepted the conditions laid down by Captain Tal, namely,

1. The surrender of all arms and ammunition.

2. That all who carry arms and those who can carry arms are to be

prisoners of war.

3. All women and children and all wounded will be entrusted to the

Red Cross, which will take them to the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem

outside the Wall and the exit will be through the Nebi Daoud Gate.

The whole Jewish population of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City

were gathered in the Square of the Jewish Quareter and surrendered

their weapons amounting to about 1,500 pieces. 1,800 old Jewish

men, women and children and wounded left the Jewish Quarter, and

300 and forty Hagana prisoners of war were sent the next day to Amman.

The Occupation of Sheikh Jarrah

On May 15, 1948 the Zionist forces occupied the Sheikh Jarrah

Arab Quarter of Jerusalem. On May 21st the Arab Army re-captured

Sheikh Jarrah.

The Battle of Notre Dame Notre Dame was liberated on May 24, 1948 by an Arab Army detachment under the courageous command of Lt. Ghazi Harb. 72

However, British officer Maj. Hunken Toven order Lt. Ghazi to

withdraw, and 18 Arab soldiers lost their lives during the withdrawal.

Attack on the Hadassah Hospital and on the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus

Mount Scopus, which is the continuation of the Mount of Olives

was in Arab hands. The Jewish institutions, Hadassah Hospital

and Hebrew University, were supplied until May 15 by British

convoys. An arrangement was then agreed upon to keep these two

institutions under Jewish control under arrangements made by the

American Consul General in Jerusalem.

Battles for Jerusalem and Suburbs

The Jaffa Gate, the New Gate and the Gate of Nebi Daoud

remained the main targets of the Zionist forces, but all their attacks were repulsed with heavy losses to them. The Zionist forces also

tried to re-occupy the Arab Quarter of Sheikh Jarrah and to close

the Jerusalem-Ramallah road, but they failed.

Palestinian forces along with an Egyptian Army detachment

successfully defeated the Zionist forces at the well-armed

Zionist settlement of Ramat Rahil, which was about three kilometers

southeast of Jerusalem. The Arab forces destroyed the settlement after fierce fighting, killing seventy Zionists, and losing nineteen

lives themselves. in the battle.

The Battle of Latroun As the Zionist forces in Jerusalem were besieged, the Zionists tried to open a road through an attack on Latrun. The Zionist attack on June 8th a;nd 9th ended in failure with heavy Zionist losses including 56 men and a large amount of ammunition. The Arabs captured 4 tanks, 16 tommy-guns, and 120 rifles. 73

Monsier de Azcarati, Acting Municipal Commissioner for Jerusalem

appointed by the United Nations Trusteeship Council, tried to help

the Jews in Jerusalem. On May 24, 1948, he sent a letter to King

Abdullah trying to establish water supplies for the Jews in

Jerusalem.

Security Council Declared a Cease Fire Order on May 29, 1948 for a Period of Four Weeks .

The British Government sent a former High Commissioner for Palestine

to the UN Security Council in New York to recommend the cease fire.

As soon as the UN Security Council Cease Fire Resolution was

adopted, the Zionists violated the Cease Fire Resolution and began

to import large quantities of arms and ammunition from Czechoslovakia, which tipped the military advantage to the Zionists.

The Result of the Battle of Jerusalem at the time of the Armistice

The Jews had control of Jewish parts of West Jerusalem and

control of the Arab Quarters of Upper and Lower Bakaa, Talbieh and

Qatamon and the Arab area of Jaffa Road and Mamillah, and St. George's

School area. Unfortunately King Abdullah and the commander of his forces, British Officer Glubb Pasha refused to liberate the

Arab quarters occupied by the Zionists, although they were able to

do so and knew that the residents of all these Arab Quarters occupied by the Zionists had become refugees. King Abdullah did not want

to liberate these Arab Quarters because of his secret agreements with the Zionists and the influence of the British Government carried out by Glubb Pasha, the British commander of the Jordanian forces.

The result of this treachery was that all Arab residents of Jerusalem outside the Old City and Sheikh Jarrah Quarter became refugees and dispossessed of their homes and properties which were looted by the 74

Zionist occupiers. The Zionists looted also all of the contents of the Arab commercial establishments.

JABER: How were the other important Arab towns occupied by the Zionists?

IN: Acre, which had a population in 1948 of about 13,000,

of whom 10,000 were Moslems, 3,000 were Christians and only 50

were Jews. Acre had defended itself against Zionist attacks

launched on April 25, 1948, when the Zionists began bombarding the

city with mortars. On May 11, the last British left Acre and the

National Committee of Acre requested aid form the Liberation Army

of Kawukji to help to defend the city. ON May 11, 12 and 13 the

Palestinians in Acre by themselves successfully defended the city.

But their ammunition became depleted. They sent a delegation to

Beitrut to obtain more ammunition but they could not obtain them.

The delegation then went to Fawzi Al-Kawukji's headqaurters in Bint

Jubail, and told him that Acre would fall without immediate help

being supplied. Kawukji replied, "Let it fall, we will retake it."

However, Acre fell to the Zionists without any effective help being

given to it. The Zionists thereafter occupied the surrounding

villages in the Acre District.

Beisan was attacked by the Zionists on May 15, 1948, but were unable to occupy it. They suffered heavy losses and lost two Jewish settlements thereafter, namely Mishmar Hagolan and Misada.

Despite this success, largely by Syrian and Iraqi forces, when those

Arab Armies withdrew, the Zionists occupied Beisan and expelled its

Arab inhabitants. 75

The Battle of Jenin

The Zionists launched a major surprise attack on Jenin on May 15, 1948. The small number of Palestinian soldiers and police in Jenin fought the Zionists resolutely until a detachment of Iraqi soldiers came to reinforce them. A big battle ensured resulting in the rout of the Zionist forces who were pursued in their retreat almost until Nat'~'a3' on the Mediterranean coast, leaving behind more than eight hundred dead Zionist soldiers. The Iraqi field commander wanted to continue the attack and occupy Nathania and thereby cutting Palestine in half with possibly disastrous military consequences to the Zionists. However, he was ordered to call back his forces by the Iraqi Supreme Commander and actually reprimanded for his initiative. As a result however, Jenin was not occupied by the Zionists. The Fall of Nazareth The Zionist attack on Galilee which was still in Arab hands in early July, 1948 started on July 11 against villages which had no defenses whatsoever. On July 16th Nazareth fell to the Zionist forces. The defense of Galilee was the responsibility of the Liberation Army of Kawukji, but they did little. Palestinian forces in Nazareth put up a very tough'fight, inflicting on the Zionists heavy losses for their victory, despite the fact that the Liberation Army had treacherously left Galilee shortly before the Zionist offensive. The city of Ain Karem, west of Jerusalem, was defended by a detachment of the Jordanian Army and Palestinian volunteers, and the Zionists could not occupy it. However, Glubb Pasha ordered the detachment of the Jordanian Army to withdraw from Ain Karem and go to Bethlehem. The remaining Palestinian forces in Ain Karem, 76

fought heroically but were forced to withdraw by superior Zionist

forces which occupied the city and expelled its Arab inhabitants

and looted their homes, shops and other commercial buildings of

all of their valuables.

JABER: What did the Zionists do in Lydda and Ramle?

IN: Israeli military documents verify that the Zionist military operations against Lydda and Ramle were designed,to

induce civilian panic and flight. On July 10, following Israeli

aerial bombardment of Lydda and Ramleh and Israeli documents

state that there was a "general and considerable civilian flight

from Ramle. There is great value in continuing the bombing ... "

On July 12 Ramle and Lydda were occupied by the Zionists.

In Lydda Israeli soldiers wantonly committed massacres, killing

some 250 Palestinian civilian men, women and children, and wounding many more.

The Zionists forcibly expelled all of the Palestinian

inhabitants from the two cities of Lydda and Ramle, and Israeli military documents verify the order that the "inhabitants of Lydda must be expelled quickly without attention to age."

Seventy thousand Palestinian Arab civilians inhabiting

Lydda and Ramle were forcibly expelled and their property looted by the Zionist forces, along with many rob.b.eries, rapes and murders committed against them. Dayan and Rabin asked Ben Gurion what to do with the population of Lydda and Ramle and he ordered their expulsion. Even so, he admitted in his diary that Israeli "soldiers from all the battalions robbed and stole."

The Zionists had told the inhabitants of Lydda and Ramle that they "could take what they could carry, then as they got outside 77 the town they were met by Zionist soldiers who stripped them of all their valuables, even to the women's ear rings, bracelets and head coins." A multitude of inhabitants, the aged, women and children, had to walk in the hot sun, and some perished of hunger and thirst. An Israeli soldier recorded how Palestinian "children got lost." Many of the refugees walked for three days, sleeping outside for two nights. According to a report on the situation of the refugees in and around Ramallah transmitted to the Foreign Office in London by British Consul-General in Jerusalem, Sir Hugh Dow, their situation

was catastrophic: "Everywhere children and tiny babies and worn-out women and old men, have come in, wave after wave, into this town. Seventy thousand

people into a township of ten thousand... The lucky ones with camels and crowded trucks, the unlucky ones, bleeding, and a woman crying out for news of her only child that escaped. People have brought away nothing but blankets. They have seen terrible and unforgettable things in their streets ...Every roadside, the shade of every tree, every corner of every house and hotel is crowded with makeshift families ... The smell is beginning to be bad in so many places ...There won't be a

drop of water left in Ramallah in three days." (Public Records Office,

London FO 371-68578 E10440/4/31). 78

JABER: When did the Arab States send some of their forces

to fight the Zionists?

IN: In April 1948 the Chief of the Arab armies worked out a plan for how the Arab States would send some of their soldiers on

May 15, 1948 in order to rescue Palestine and its Arab inhabitants

from the Zionist terrorists. They decided the areas to which

the different Arab Armies were to engage the Zionist enemy.

On May 15, 1948 the Arab States sent a cable to the

United Nations Security Council explaining the reasons for their intervention in Palestine. The cable, sent by the Egyptian

Foreign Minister expressly stated that "the Arab States members of the League, recognizing that the independence and sovereignty of

Palestine became a fact upon the termination of the Mandate, were compelled to intervene in Palestine because the disturbances there constituted a serious and direct threat to peace and security within the territories of the Arab STates, and in order to restore peace and establish law in Palestine."

The number of Arab troops which entered Palestine on

May 15, 1948 were as follows: 1,500 Syrian troops; 1,000 Lebanese troops; 1,500 Iraqi troops; 4,500 Jordanian troops, 1,500 Saudi

Arabian troops' and 10,000 Regular and Irregular Egyptian troops.

At that time in Palestine there were 67,000 trained and armed Israelis who were members of the three Zionist terrorist organizations, namely the Hagana, the Irgun Z'wei Leumi, and the

Stern Gang. 79

King Abdul1ah of Jordan was made Commander in Chief of all

Arab Forces. Glubb Pasha, the British Officer who was commanding

the Jordanian forces in the field changed the strategy of the

deployment of the Arab forces form the different Arab countries.

The Syrian army did not proceed as originally planned because of the orders of Glubb Pasha. They were sent to Beisan instead of going to Safad, Nazareth and Affouleh. The Lebanese army was also deployed differently and they never marched towards Acre.

Fawzi a1-Kawukji Arab Liberation Army was supposed to push towards Raifa, which was already in Zionist hands. They did not perform that mission. The Iraqi Army forces in Palestine, increased to nine thousand troops, was often countermanded in carrying out its operations by orders from Glubb Pasha. For example, after penetrating the Jewish settlement of Kesher following very heavy fighting, the Iraqi forces were ordered to retreat just when they had taken a strategic building near Kesher after intense battle.

The Iraqi forces report states that the retreat was "because Glubb

Pasha wanted that... Re wanted the Iraqis to lose men and not to occupy the settlement. The order to retreat came when the Iraqis were at the gates of Kesher." After their retreat the Iraqi Army established their headquarters in Nablus and Tulkarim.

The Prime Minister of Egypt, Mahmud Fahmi Nakrashi, was against sending Egyptian forces to Palestine for many reasons, but he was ordered to do so on May 15 by King Farouk. The Egyptian regular forces which entered Palestine on May 15, were only 6,000 men, augmented by a small Sudanese force. There were another 6,000

Egyptian troops stationed at A1-Arish close to the Palestinian border.

The Egyptian forces were stationed in Gaza. The Egyptian 80

tried to occupy certain strategic Jewish settlements on their way but could not occupy them all. The Egyptians besieged the well fortified Jewish settlement of Kfar Darum. The Zionist forces,

trying to break the siege, attacked the Egyptian forces with tanks and armored cars, but the Egyptians, reinforced by detachments of

Palestinian soldiers, counterattacked and captured all the tanks and armored cars of the enemy,killing most of the attackers.

Egyptian volunteers from the Muslim Brotherhood, under the command of Col. Ahmad Abdul-Aziz were in charge of Beersheba District, and they were supposed to go to Hebron, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

When Colonel Ahmad Abdul-Azis arrived at Bethlehem Glubb Pasha and

Colonel Lash, British officers of the Jordanian Army, told him that he was not wanted there. They did not allow Colonel Abdul-Aziz to hoist the Egyptian flag above the building where he was headquartered.

Egyptian soldiers were besieged by Zionist forces at Faluja from October 1948 until February, 1949. During this time they repulsed two strong Zionist attacks, on November 7 and December 27, 1948, inflicting heavy losses on the Israeli Army. Important Egyptian officers who fought at Faluja were Jamaal Abdul-Nasser, Zachariya

Muhyiddin, Abdul Hamid Amer.. Resupplied by Palestinian volunteers, the Egyptian forces at Faluja refused to surrender. The Egyptian fighters who fought'at 'Faluj a returned to Cairo after the armistice of February 24, 1949. On April 11, 1949 King Abdullah of Jordan demanded that the Egyptian troops in Bethlehem and Bebron be withdrawn, and they left at the end of that month. 81

I have mentioned many times the role of the Jordanian

forces in Palestine, Their Comrnander,British officer Glubb Pasha,

had fifty one officers under his command,on1y six of whom were

Arabs and the rest were British. Between the British influence

and King Abdullah, the Jordanian Army did not fight the Zionists

to capacity and failed to send assistance to many areas threatened by the Zionists that finally were occupied by the Zionist forces.

However, the Arab Army fought in Latrun and in Jerusalem and

saved these parts of Palestine from Zionist occupation.

JABER: Did the Security Council of the United Nations impose

Cease Fire in 1948 between Zionist forces and Arab forces?

IN: The first Cease Fire was imposed by United Nations

Security Council Resolution in May 29, 1948.which decided to call upon all Governments and authorities concerned to order a Cease Fire for a period of four weeks and "to refrain from importing or exporting war material to Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria,

Trans-Jordan and Yemen during the cease fire." The first armistice took effect on June 11th and ended on July 9th, 1948. The Zionists violated the Cease Fire from the first day and they were attacking different parts of Palestine during the first cease fire and importing substantial amounts of weapons from Europe and the United States and bringing in many volunteers and even mercenaries for their forces.

The Zionists in Jerusalem, who had been on the verge of surrendering just before the cease fire, were re-supplied through the opening of the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv road.

During the cease fire nothing was done to strengthen the Arab

------82

armies nor to improve their military positions. On the contrary

the Jordanian army tried to demobilize the Palestinian Army and to

take away their weapons, while the Zionists were adding to their

arsenal large quantities of heavier amrmaments, Beaufort planes, mortars and German Brens. The shipments from Czechoslovakia were huge. Before the armistice the Zionists had only four planes,

but by the time the armistice ended in four weeks they had

increased that number to forty planes.

The s~eease fir'e was imposed by the United Nations

Security Countil 011 July 15, 1948. It stated"'.'pursuant,to Article 40 of the Charter, orders the parties to desist from further military action and to issue cease fire orders to their men not

later than three days from thedate of this resolution."

Once again the Zionists violated the cease fire orders, and occupied th~1~istrict around Latrun which was under the protection of the Jordanian army. The Zionists attempted to attack the

Old City in Jerusalem during the Armistice. At 7:00 a;m. on

August 15, 1948 an Israeli broadcast addressed to the Jewish people in Jerusalem urged them to attack the Old City and to occupy the Muslim Holy Places, which the broadcast called Beit

Hamikdash. The attack on the Old City began on the same afternoon. The Zionists also attacked all gates and roads leading to Jerusalem and Jabal al-Mukabbir where the International Red Cross had its headquarters in Government House. The Zionist attacks on the Old City was repulsed, but on August 18 they were able to occupy the Government House, which after a heavy battle was retaken by the Jordanian army, assisted by Egyptian troops. They inflicted many casualties on the Zionists. 83

JABER: What territory did the Arabs lose during the nine day war, when the cease fire was imposed?

IN: The Egyptian and Saudi forces did not lose any territory during the Zionist attacks during .i.1 these nine days. The Iraqi forces neither gained nor lost any territory. The Syrian army gained territory by occupying the Mishmar Hayeden settlement, which remained under Syria until July 20, 1949, when the General Armistice

Agreement between Syria and the Zionist authorities was signed.

The Liberation Army under Fawsi al-Kawukji lost all of

Galilee which included Nazareth, Kufr-Kanna and many other villages.

The Jordanian Army lost Lydda and Ramelh, Bab al-Waad and all the villages on the Jaffa-Jerusalem road and the town of Ain

Karem.

The second cease fire was declared by the United Nations

Security Council on August 19th, 1948. The Zionists also violated this cease fire. The Zionists attacked the Egyptian forces during the second cease fire in the Battle of Faluja which began on October

14, 1948. The fighting was fierce and Zionist losses were very heavy.

However, they were able to occupy Beersheba and to surround an entire

Egyptian regiment of about 3,000 in Faluja.

At the same time, the Jordanian army occupied Hebron and brought down the Palestinian and Egyptian flags. A senior Egyptian officer sent an urgent request to King Abdullah as the Commander in

Chief of the Arab States forces, for forces to assist the Egyptian troops in Faluja. But the request was practically ignored.

As a result of this Faluja military crisis the Arab Prime

Ministers met in Amman on October 24, 1948. The Jordanian government 84

stated that the Jordanian Army was unable to fight any more and

was unable to help the besieged Egyptian forces at Fa1uja.

Egypt complained in the Security Council concerning the

Zionist violations of the cease firest and their attacks in the

Negeb. The Security Council made appeals on November 4, November 16,

and December 29, 1948 that the parties should return to their

original positions on October 14, 1948. The Zionists did not

comply. The United States then suggested a permanent armistice

agreement between Egypt and the Zionists. As a result, the General

ArmisticeAgreement between Egypt and Israel was made on February

24, 1949. The Gaza Strip was mentioned in Article VI of this

Agreement. The Gaza Strip bordered on the Mediterranean Sea,

between Majda1 on the North and Rafah on the South. It was mandated

by the Arab League to be administered by the Egyptian government.

Egyptian forces returned to Egypt, leaving a detachment in Gaza for

this purpose.

JABER: What about the Armistice Agreement between Israel and

the Jordanian Government?

IN: The negotiations between Israeli officials and the Jordanian

officials took a long time when many Israeli officials went to Amman,

Jordan to meet with King Abdu11ah. The Jordanian delegation went to

Rhodes. Big disputes started about the Triangle. The Triangle

is agricultural land consisting of more than 300,000 dunums of the best fertile soil, with 150,000 Palestinian Arab farmers cultivating

this land. The Triangle lies between Nab1us, Jenin and Tu1karem, and

falls in Arab State according to the Partition Resolution. Finally,

King Abdu11ah accepted, in agreements with Israeli officials, to give 85 up the Triangle for Zionist occupation.

All Palestinian inhabitants of the Triangle were finally expelled from their homes and properties and became refugees.

JABER: What about the Armistice Agreements between Israel and Lebanon and Syria?

IN: The General Armistice Greement between Lebanon and Israel was signed on March 23, 1949, and the General Armistice Agreement between Syria and Israel was signed on July 20, 1949.

JABER: What were the Palestinian Arab cities, towns and villages occupied by the Zionists as a result of the Armistice

Agreements?

IN: The following cities, towns and villages were finally occupied by the Zionists as a result of the Armistice Agreements.

The district of Jerusalem. The Arabs lost many quarters in the city of Jerusalem and 32 villages. In the SubDitrict of Bethlehem, the Arabs lost 7 villages. In the District of Hebron the Arabs lost 16 villages. In the District of Jaffa the Arabs lost the city of Jaffa and 24 villages. In the District of Ram1eh the Arabs the city of RAm1eh and 32 villages. In the SubDistrict of Lydda the

Arabs lost the city of Lydda and its airport and 29 villages. In the District of Jenin the Arabs lost 8 villages. In the District of

Tu1karem the Arabs lost 29 villages. In the District of Haifa the

Arabs lost the city of Haifa and 41 villages. In the District of

Acre the Arabs lost the city of Acre and 50 villages. In the

District of Nazareth the Arabs lost the city of Nazareth and 24 villages.

In the District of Safad the Arabs lost the city of Safad and 75 86 villages. In the district of Tiberias the Arabs lost the city of

Tiberias and 26 villages. In the District of Beisan the Arabs lost the city of Beisan and 28 villages. In the District of Gaza the

Arabs lost the towns of Majda1 and Fa1ujah and 53 villages. In the District of Beersheba, the area comprising 12,577,000 dunums.

All this area, with the exception of 17,000 dunums was occupied by the Zionists. The Arabs lost the town of Beersheba and the 77 tribal territories in which the Bedouin tribes of the District lived.

These tribes were'kicked out of the District of Beersheba and their territories were occupied by the Zionists. The tribes were persecuted and expelled. Many of them went to the West Bank and to Jordan.

JABER: What Palestinian territory was occupied by the Israelis after the Armistice Agreement, which was only legally a truce, without any transfer of territories?

IN: According to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (11) the area of the Jewish State was defined in detail. Therefore all the areas of Palestine occupied at' the' time the Armistice Agreements in excess: of.~_the def.ine;d bKrondaries of Israel are illegally controlled and its occupation of these areas is illegal and invalid.

In January, 1948 there were in Palestine 833 Arab towns and villages, as well as 108 villages and localities inhabited by semi-Nomadic Bedouin tribes. The Zionists, by war and aggression, occupied in 1948-50 the Districts of Acre, Beisan, Nazareth, Safad,

Tiberias, Haifa, Jaffa, Ram1eh and Beersheba. They also occupied parts of the Districts of Jenin, Tu1karem, Nab1us, Hebron, Jerusalem and Gaza. 87

The areas they occupied constituted 80% of the total area of Palestine. The Zionists occupied 12 cities and 526

Palestinian Arab towns and villages as well as 198 villages and

localities inhabited by Bedouins. They destroyed and erased from the map 425 of these Arab towns and villages and 67 of these villages and localities occupied by the Bedouin tribes. They usurped this land and established Jewish colonies on these sites.

According to the LIST OF LOCALITIES, GEOGRAPHICAL I~FORMATION

AND POPULATION 1948, 1961 1972 prepared by the Israeli Government's

Central Bureau of Statistics, only 101 Arab towns and villages are still in existence in Israel today, and these are referred to as

"non-Jewish small villages," "non Jewish large villages," or "urban localities." There are also only 41 surviving villages and localities of the Bedouin tribes which are referred to as "Bedouin tribes."

This means that the Zionists destroyed 492 Arab towns and villages and

Bedouin localities, together with their schools, mosques, churches and cemeteries, and erased them from the map of Palestine. 95% of the Arab houses and commercial buildings in the cities and towns of

Acre, Beisan, Safad, Tiberias, Haifa, Jaffa, Ramleh, Lydda, Beersheba and the New City of Jerusalem were usurped and used for the settlement of Jews. 88

JABER: What happened in the 1967 war?

IN: In the early hours of June 5, 1967 Israel launched a war of aggression against Egypt, Jordan and Syria and occupied the

West Bank, Gaza, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula. On

the admission of many Israeli leaders, this war was the result of a long-planned, calculated aggression. It was undertaken in order

to expand Israel's occupation of Arab territories and not, as falsely claimed by Israelis, as a pre-emptive strike to avoid annihilation. The following admissions from Israeli leaders prove their conspiracy and their crime against peace in 1967:

1. Menahem Begin, Minister Without Portfolio: "In June 1967, we again had a choice. The Egyptian Army concentrations in the Sinai approaches do not prove that Nasser was really about to attack us.

We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him." (The

New York Times, August 21, 1982).

2. General Yitshak Rabin, then Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense

Forces: "I do not believe that Nasser wanted war. The two divisions which he sent into Sinai on May 14 would not have been enough to unleash an offensive against Israel. He knew it, and we knew it."

(Le Monde, February 28, 1968). 3. General Mattitiahu Peled, Chief, Quartermaster-GeneralIs Branch, of the Israeli Army General Staff: "All those stories about the huge danger we were facing because of our small territorial size, an argument expounded once the war was over, had never been considered in our calculations prior to the unleashing of hostilities. While we proceeded towards the full mobilization of our forces, no person in his right mind could believe that all this force was necessary to 89

our defence against the Egyptian threat. To pretend that the Egyptian

forces concentrated on our borders were capable of threatening

Israel's existence does not only insult the intelligence of any

person capable of analyzing his kind of situation, but is primarily

an insult to the Israeli army." (Le Monde, February 28, 1972.)

4. General Ezer Weizman, Chief of Operations, Israeli Army General

Staff, "There was never a danger of extermination. This hypothesis

had never been considered in any serious meeting." (Ha'aretz, March

29, 1972).

5. General Mordechai Hod, Commanding General, Israeli Air Force:

"Sixteen years planning had gone into those initial eighty minutes.

We lived with the plan, we slept on the plan, we ate the plan.

Constantly we perfected it." (Alfred M. Lilienthal, The Zionist

Connection, New York, Dodd, Mead, Co. Co, 1978, pp. 558-59.)

6. Mordechai Bentov, Minister of Housing: "The entire story of

the danger of extermination was invented in every detail, and

exaggerated a posteriori to justify the annexation of new Arab

territory." (Al-Hamishmar, April 14, 1971.)

JABER: What about the settlements which were established by

Israel after their occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967?

IN: Israel usurped 75% of the lands of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and 90% of Palestinian water resources. They established 200 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza and established many roads on Palestinian lands connecting the Jewish settlements to each other and connecting the settlements to Israel.

They have violated the territorial integrity of the West Bank and 90

Gaza and made it difficult for Palestinians to move from one area

to another because they also established Israeli military and

police posts in many parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Israel's

objective in establishing these settlements, roads and military

and police posts is to keep the Palestinians under permanent occupation as an Apartheid type of "Bantustan."

Israel sent, until 2001, 400,000 of its citizens to live

in these settlements. They entice their citizens to live in

these settlements by subsidizing their housing costs. The subsidies

are usually taken from the United Jewish Appeal funds raised tax free in the United States of America.

Since 1967, the United Nations General Assembly and the

Security Council have adopted many resolutions condemning Israeli policies in the occupied Arab territories and in particular:

1. The confiscation and expropriation of Palestinian lands and properties in the occupied territories.

2. The establishment of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories

3. The transfer and settlement of Israeli citizens in the occupied territories.

4. That these acts and practices of Israel constitute a violation of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of August 12, 1949.

The principal judicial authortities on offenses against property in the trial of War Criminals after World War 11 considered that the infringement of the property rights of the inhabitants of the occupied territories was considered a war crime.

Even the United States Government, which supports Israel, 91

considers the establishment of these Israeli settlements in the

occupied territories and the transfer of its citizens to the

occupied areas as illegal. On July 28, 1977, President James

Earl Carter stated: "This matter of settlements in the occupied

territory has always been characterized by our Government, by me

and my predecessors as an illegal action."

On October 19, 1977, Assistant Secretary of State Alfred

L.Atherton testified before the Subcommittees on International

Organization, Europe and the Middle East, and the Committee on

Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives concerning Israeli settlements in occupied territories that the United States sees

"the Israeli settlements as inconsistent with international law.

The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies."

JABER: The Zionists claim that the establishment of Israel is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. What is the truth about that?

IN: The Zionists have used all kinds of false and deceitful arguments to justify the crime of genocide they committed against the indigenous Muslim and Christian population of Palestine. They have conducted a campaign in the United States through the "Christian

Zionists" and the electronic evangelists. They have falsely claimed that Palestine is the "Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael)," that the

Jews are the "chosen people" and that God is fulfilling his promises to the Jews by "returning His chosen people to their promised land."

To support these claims, the Zionists use verses in the Old Testament 92

Any careful study of the Old Testament will show that after the

Jews were exiled to Babylonia they were returned to the Land of

Canaan in 521 B.C. Sixty three years later, in 485 B.C., the second return took place when Ezra returned to Jerusalem at the head of 1,800 exiles, with full powers from the Persian king

Artaxerxes to impose the law of the Torah on the community there.

This proves that the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the return of the Jews to the Land of Canaan was already completely fulfilled in Old Testament times.

The New Testament does not recognize that any new promises were made to Jews. St. Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians (Galatians

3:14-20) stated very cleary that the promises were made to Abraham and his seed and "not seeds, as of many, but as of one, and the seed is

Jesus Christ." St. Paul further stated: "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither

Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

The Zionists established so-called Israel in 1948 by committing massacres, war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide against the Palestinian Christian and Muslim indigenous population.

The Zionists have defiled the Holy Land by making it an armed camp and by constantly committing barbaric and heinous crimes against the

Palestinians. 93

JABER: The Zionists claim that they have an historical

right to Palestine. What is your opinion about their claim?

IN: Historical, archaeological, religious, linguistic and

ethnographic evidence proves beyond doubt that the Zionist

historical claims to Palestine are unfounded for the following reasons:

1) Palestine was known as the land of Canaan. It was inhabited by

Canaanite tribes which had migrated from the Arabian Peninsula and

Mesopotamia. They were living in at least 31 kingdoms throughout the

country. They were a well-developed people. It was the Romans who

called the land Palestine, a word derived from the Philistines, who wre of Aegean origin and entered the land of Canaan in the 13th century

B.C. They never left the country and had a great influence on its history.

2) The Israelites entered the land of Canaan as invaders in the

13th century B.C. They conquered parts of the country, mainly in the mountainous regiouns in the areas known today as Judaea and Samaria.

They lived side by side with the Canaanite tribes, intermarried with them and were greatly affected by them, because the Canaanites were more advanced economically, culural1y and socially.

3) The Israelites established a kingdom, first under King Saul, later on under King David and King Solomon. This kingdom was a multinational and multireligious state. Its population was composed of Canaanites, Israelites and Philistines. The people worshipped

Jehovah and many Canaanite deities. This kingdom was not all times independent, but was a satellite at different times to the Egyptians, the Syrians and the Assyrians.

After the reign of King Solomon the kingdom was divided into the kingdom of Israel in the north and the kingdom of Judah in the south. The kingdom of Israel, which was also known as the kingdom of Samaria, was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. The Assyrians brought many captive peoples and took many of the inhabitants of the kingdom to Assyria. The Babylonians conquered both the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah in 586 B.C. and transferred many thousands of the population of the two kingdoms to Babylonia. Some of these people who were transferred returned to Judah and Samria, but the bulk of those who were transferred settled permanently in Babylonia and intermarried with the indigenous people of Babylonia. The kingdom of Israel barely lasted two hundred years, and the kingdom of Judah only lasted for three hundred years. 4) The land of Canaan was conquered by the Greeks in 330 B.C. The Greeks settled in the country and greatly influenced the population culturally, religiously and socially. The Greek language became the dominant language in the country, although the bulk of the population were speaking Aramaic, which is a derivative of the Arab language. Aramaic, in different dialects, was spoken in the countries known today as Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. 5) The Romans conquered the land of Canaan in 63 B.C. They named the country Palestine and they named the provinces Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Philistia, and Idumea. During the Roman era the people still were speaking Aramaic and .Greek. The Hebrew language, which was only a dialect of the Canaanitish language, was only used by scribes, but never by the Israelities, the Canaanites and the Philistines. During the Roman era the majority of the Palestinian population, whether Canaanites, Israelities or Edomites, adopted Christianity. The Apostles were of Israelite and Canaanite origin. At the beginning of Christianity, the followers of Jehovah and Canaanite deities persecuted the Christian 95 minority. When the Christians became a majority, and when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Christians persecuted Jews and pagans who did not adopt their religion. Thereafter, many of the Jews migrated to neighboring countries, which are known today as Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Arabia and North AFrica. Overall,

Palestine from the 4th century until the 19th century had very few

Jews.

6) The Old Testament, called by Jews the Torah, and the Talmud, were develped mostly in Babylonia. The Palestinian Talmud was partly developed in Palestine and partly in Babylonia. It can be stated that the tenets of Judaism were developed outside of Palestine. Neither the

Old Testament nor the Talmud has any exclusive connection with Palestine, and both have ties with BAbylonia than with the land of Canaan, or

Palestine. Furthermore, after the 13th century A.D. the center of

Talmudic Judaism was transferred to the non-Semitic Khazar converts to Judaism of Eastern and Central Europe.

7~ The Zionist Jews who invaded Palestine and set up the State of Israel in 1948 were Ashkenazi Jews. The Jews of today are either

Ashkenazi or Sephardi. The Ashkenazi Jews are not Semitic, but are a people of Turkish origin who were living in the kingdom of the

Khazars and had converted to Judaism by the 9th century A.D. The king, nobles and members of the government and the great majority of the pop~lation adopted Judaism. The Jewish population in the domain of the Khazars between the seventh and tenth centuries was very considerable. When the Russians invaded the kingdom of the Khazars, the

Khazar Jews spread throughout Russia and Central and Eastern Europe. It could be safely stated, according to authorities on the subject, that

90% of the Jews of today are Ashkenazim of Khazar origin, that they 96 are not Semitic, and that their ancesors have never had any connection with Palestine whatsoever. The Sephardi Jews who were living in

Muslim countries east of Tunisia are Semitic and their ancient ancestors had a connection to Palestine. The Jews of the Maghreb are mostly Berbers who adopted Judaism. They are not Semites, and their ancestors had no connection with Palestine. The Jews of Spain were mostly descendants of Berber Jews who migrated to Andalusia during the Arab domination of Spain.

8) The Palestinians of today, who call themselves Arabs, are Muslims and Christians. They are the descendants of all the races and nations which have lived in and conquered Palestine from the time of the

Canaanities until the British occupation of Palestine in 1918. They are a cohesion of all of those races. The Christians among them are descendants of the first Christians, who adoped Christianity at the time of Jesus and his Apostles. The Muslims are those who were either

Christian or pagans who adopted Islam after the Arab conquest of

Palestine in the 7th century A.D. For the above reasons, it can be seen that Zionist claims to

Palestine cannot be justified on historical, ethnic, legal, or religious grounds, and that therefore Zionist claims are unfounded.

JABER: What are the rights of the Palestinian refugees to

return to their homes?

IN: During his mediation mission in Palestine, United Nations

mediator Count Folke Bernadotte made it one of his first priorities

to try to obtain from Israel the recognition of the right of return

of the Palestinians. In his report he declared: 97

"From the start, I held the firm view that, taking into consideration all the circumstances, the right of these refugees to return to their homes at the earliest practical date should be established. With this consideration in mind, following an exploratory conversation on the matter with the Minister of

Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government of Israel on 26 July

1948, in Tel Aviv, I submitted to him by cable from Rhodes on the same day the following proposal:

"The Resolution of the Security Concil of 15 July urges the parties to continue their conversations with the Mediator in a spirit of conciliation and mutual concession, in order that all points under dispute may be settled peacefully...one of the points under dispute is the return to their homes in Jewish-controlled area of Palestine of

Arab refugees who fled because of war conditions ... "

The mediator insisted that it was imperative that the right of return of the Palestinian refugees be established by the United

Nations.

On December 11, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 194 (Ill) entitled "Palestine--Progress Report of the United Nations Mediator." That Resolution established inter alia the following:

"Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for the loss or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible."

------98

The United Nations General Assembly every year adopted a

Resolution confirming the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and that those who do not wish to return should be compensated for their lost property. The United Nations

Security Council also adopted several resolutions confirming the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in the occupied areas. The right of the refugees to return home has been raised by the Palestinians in all negotiations with Israel, but I~rael, until today, refuses to honor this right.

It is the duty of the United Nations General Assembly and the

Security Council to force Israel to allow the return of the

Palestinian refugees to their homes or to compensate them for their lost properties if they do not wish to return.

JABER: What is the right of restitution of properties to the

Palestinians who were deprived of their properties by the Israelis?

IN: Restitution is a legal term in international law which means integrum restitutio Ctotal restitution) of property rights or interest to persons who were wrongfully deprived of such property rights and interests by expropriation, confiscation, sequestration, seizures, forfeiture, looting, pillage or plunder by the occupier of a country in violation of the rules of international law regarding the inviolabilic" of private or public property for reasons of race, religion, nationality, ideology or political opposition. The property rights and interests should be restored to the former owner or to his successor ininterest .Jrrespective of interests or other persons who had no knowledge of the wrongful acts. The restitution must wipe 99

out all consequences of the illegal act and reestablish the situation whic

would, in all probability, have existed if the illegal acts had not been

committed.

The right of restitution was embodied in the judgments of

the Permanent Court of International Justice, the London Declarations

of January 5, 1943 and July 12, 1943. It was embodied in the Peace

Treaties of 1947 and in legislation adopted by the European

countries in the European Community after World War 11. Since

1962 the United Nations General Assembly adopted several resolutions

confirming "the rights of peoples and nations to permanent

sovereignty over their national wealth and resources. lf The

resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly from 1972 until

today affirmed the rights of the Palestinians "to the restitution of

their national wealth" of which they were deprived by Israel.

An official publication of the Jewish National Fund stated:

"The Jewish National Fund and private Jewish owners possess under

two million dunums. Almost all the rest belongs by law to Arab owners, many of whom have left the country. Whatever the ultimate fate of the

Arabs concerned, it is manifest that their legal right to their land

and property in Israel will not be waived. Conquest by force of arms

cannot, ,in law or ethics, abrogate the rights of the legal owner to his

present property." (Jewish Villages in Israel, The Jewish National

FUnd (Keren Kayemeth Leisrael) Head Office, Jerusalem (1949), pp. XXI­

XXII. 100

JABER: In 1948 there was in Palestine 1,350,000 Christian and

Muslim Palestinians, and 650,000 Jews. How come that the small minority of Jews was able to occupy in 1948-49 80% of Palestine and expel 850,000 Palestinians from 12 cities and 625 towns and villages?

IN: Until March 1948 the Palestinians were winning every battle with the Zionists. The Palestinians were also winning some battles after April, 1948, although many Palestinians were expelled from Palestine by the Zionists by using massacres and deliberate indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian civilians.

The following are the reasons why the Zionists were finally able to occupy 80% of Palestine:

1. The British Administration made laws forbidding the Palestinians from possessing weapons. Any Palestinian who was found in possession of even one cartridge was sent to jail. I was a lawyer in Jerusalem, and from 1939 to 1947 I defended more than one hundred Palestinian prisoners who were found in possession of either an old rifle or a cartridge. But the Zionists were carrying out a campaign of terrorism against the British Administration from 1939 until 1948, and yet, they were able to manufacture weapons and ammunition in

Palestine and import the machinery to do so with the knowledge of the British Administration·,

2. The Palestinians were short of weapons, and when they were able to buy them outside of Palestine, most of these weapons were either seized by the British Army or British police, or seized by some Arab

Governments which did not want the Palestinians to possess these weapons, or they wanted to give the weapons to the Liberation Army 101 commanded by Al-Kawukji.

3. The Liberation Army by Al Kawukji failed to defend the Palestinian areas for which he was assigned responsibility for defense by the

Arab League. Al Kawukji followed the orders of King Abdullah of

Transjordan and he lost all of Galilee, including the cities of

Tiberias, Safad, Acre, Beisan, Haifa, and Jaffa, and hundreds of villages in these areas. His conduct was treacherous, and lost the Palestinians all of these important areas.

4. The Jordanian Army which was well trained and was in a position to fight the Zionists was commanded by the British officer Glubb

Pasha, who was following the orders of the British Government, and did not defend five Palestinian Quarters in Jerusalem and were therefore occupied by the Zionists. The Jordanian Army did not send military assistance, although requested to do so, to defend Jaffa, Lydda, Ramleh and other cities, towns and villages under attack by the Zionist forces, and therefore the Zionists were able to occupy them. 5. The British Army and British police. which was still in Palestine as forces of the Mandatory Power until May IS, 1948 were helping the Zionist forces by convincing Palestinians when attacked in th~ir cities, towns or villages to leave as refugees., They were also were assisting the Zionists by repelling Arab forces when they were victorious in battle against the Zionists. The British also provided armed escort for Zionist convoys, enabling the

Zionists to provide reinforcements and to resupply their units.

6. The Zionist forces were able to obtain weapons from England, 102

France, the United States of America, and Czechoslovakia, and smuggling these weapons into Palestine while the country was still under British Mandate. The Zionists had more than 60,000 trained soldiers. Some of these soldiers were trained by the

British as volunteers during World War 11, or were trained by the Haganah after the end of the War in military camps in

Palestine, with the knowledge of the British Administration.

7. British soldiers enabled the Zionists to steal weapons and ammunition from British camps or from trains carrying weapons and ammunition, and enabled the Zionists before May 15, 1948 to occupy several British camps and carry out all the weapons and ammunition in these camps.

8. The Zionists imported more than thirty thousand trained and combat experienced soldiers, mostly officers or NCO's from the

United States, Britain, Germany, France, Russia and Czechoslovakia, among other countries. Many of them were Jews, but some were only mercenaries. These volunteers and mercenaries took an active part in battles against the Palestinians.

9. Zionist forces committed many massacres against the Palestinians in cities, towns and villages and expelled the Palestinians, who became refugees, and this disoriented the Palestinian civilian population greatly and this affected the morale of Palestinian fighters. 10. The Zionists had prepared plans to occupy as much as possible of the area of Palestine and expel the Palestinians in substanial excess to the territories allotted to the Jewish State by the

Partition Resolution. 103

11. The Arab Forces from the Arab States which entered Palestine

after May 15, 1948 were poorly equipped, and some of them, namely

the Jordanian and Iraqi forces, although well-trained and well

equipped were under British orders not to fight the Zionists

offensively, and even sometimes not even defensively. When they

did win some battles against the Zionists they were ordered to withdraw from the area they had won and some of the Arab officers were reprimanded.

12. The Zionist forces were able to occupy 80% of Palestine in

1948-1949 not through their courage and ability but by the

assistance of the British Administration in Palestine, the British

officers commanding the Arab forces, and by the influence of the

British Government on some Arab Governments.

13. The United States, the Soviet Union and Britain were prejudiced in favor of the Zionists. They used the United Nations

Security Council to impose two cease fires which favored the Zionists militarily, enabling them to obtain further weapons and ammunition and to improve their military position, which had been facing disaster in many places, in particular the Jaffa-Jerusalem road. The Security

Council embargoed the possession of weapons by all parties, but the

Zionists were able to obtain weapons from many countries during the cease fire periods, while the Arab forces obeyed the embargo and did not obtain additional weapons and ammunition.

14. Count Folke Bernadotte, the United Nations Mediator, suggested a new scheme for the partition of Palestine, but the United States, the Soviet Union and Israel rejected it. Israel and the United

States were insisting that the Israeli boundaries defined by the 104

Partition Resolution of 29 November 1947 should not be changed, although

the Israelis had occupied large areas of Palestine in excess of the

defined boundaries for the Jewish State in the Partition Resolution.

The total occupied by the Israelis amounted to 80% of Palestine instead

of the 54% of Palestine allotted to the Jewish State in the Partition

Resolution. Count Bernadotte suggested also that the refugees

should be returned to their cities, towns and villages and their homes and lands should be restituted to them. The United Nations, under the influece of the United States and the Soviet Union, failed

to order Israel to return the refugees or to restitute their property.

The United States and the Soviet Union were influential in preventing

the United Nations from ordering Israel to return to the boundaries defined by the Partition Resolution for the Jewish State. The

United States, the Soviet Union and the United Nations were accessories to Israel in the commission of these war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Palestinians.

15. Although Abba Eban, the Representative of the Provisional

Government of Israel, undertook in the Ad Hoc Political Committee that Israel will implement the Partition Resolution 181 (11), and

Resolution 194 (Ill) for the return of the Palestinian refugees, yet the United Nations Security Council did not force Israel to comply with its commitment to implement these Resolutions, although when admitting Israel to membership in the United Nations both the Security

Council and the General Assembly relied on these two two Resolutions, namely 181 (11) and 194 (Ill) and Israel's commitment to abide by them and by the principles of the United Nations Charter. 105

16. After the assassination of Count Folke Bernadotte of Sweden,

the appointment of Ralph Bunche of the United States as the

Mediator, the new Mediator did not act in any way to force Israel

to implement Resolutions 181 (11) and 194 (Ill).

17. The Security Council favored Israel by ordering the

armistice agreements between Israel and the Arab States, thereby

enabling Israel to remain in control of the areas they occupied

and obtain, moreover, the Triangle from King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan,

and thereby remain in control of about 80% of the area of Palestine.

18. The United Nations appointed a Conciliation Commission composed

of the United States, France and Turkey to conciliate between Israel

and the Arabs and enable the refugees to return home or be compensated, but failed to do so. However, the Conciliation Commission was able

to obtain the signatures of the Arab States and Israel in the

Protocol of Lausanne which confirmed the Partition Resolution defined the area of the Jewish State as was defined in Partition

Resolution 181 (11).

19. In 1967 Israel committed the war of aggression against Egypt,

Jordan and Syria, with the connivance of President Johnson of the

United States, and committed and is still committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese with the protection of the United States of America in the United Nations. Israel is still in occupation of the West

Bank and Gaza, the Syrian Golan Heights and part of southern

Lebanon. 106

JABER: What is in your opinion the best solution of the Palestine

Problem and making peace between Israelis and Palestinians?

IN: The peace negotiations which have been going on for the last

ten years are a fraud. Israel wishes to impose a solution on

the Palestinians to keep the Palestinians at most in some areas

of Palestine under permanent Israeli occupation, with ~ maxi~um

of semi-colonial self-rule. Some Israeli leaders do not even

accept this apartheid type solution but plan to implement the

scheme of "Transfer," namely to expel the Palestinians from

Israel itself and the West Bank and Gaza as llethnic cleansing."

There are two alternative solutions which may bring permanent

peace and justice to Palestine and the Middle East:

Number One. The implementation of all United Nations Resolutions

adopted by the General Assembly and the Security Council on the

Palestine Problem, and the establishment of a Palestinian State

and a Jewish State in the boundaries defined by Partition Resolution

181 (11) of November 29, 1947. The United Nations should force

Israel to withdraw from all the areas of Palestine which was

occupied in excess of those only legally defined boundaries. Israel must be forced to allow the Palestinian refugees to go home to their

cities towns and villages and must be forced to restitute to them . 1 ' all their homes, lands and properties which were usurped by Israel,

from 1948 until today. Israel must be forced to withdraw from the

West Bank and Gaza and remove its armed forces from these areas

and remove its citizens from the West Bank and Gaza and deliver the

illegally established settlements to the Palestinian refugees. 107.

Arrangements should be made in accordance with the principles

established by the Partition Resolution 181 (II) for economic

cooperation between the Palestine State and the Jewish State.

Number Two. The best humanitarian and religious solution to

the Palestine Problem is the establishment of a Holy Land State

in Palestine where Muslims, Christians and Jews can live as

fellow citizens. The State should be constituted of Arab

and Jewish cantons within a Federal Government which shall be

called the Holy Land State.

The Holy Land State shall have no army, no navy, no air force, but only a police force for keeping public order. The Holy Land

State shall enter into a common market with the neighboring Arab countries. The Holy Land State shall be open for pilgrimage of

Christians, Muslims and Jews throughout the world. The solution would again make Palestine the Holy Land of peace.

This solution would conform to the vision of three hundred prominent American Jews who on March 4, 1919 handed a statement to President Woodrow Wilson for transmission to the Versailles

Peace Conference in which they stated:

'''IAs to the future of Palestine, it is our fervent hope that what was once a "promised land" for the Jews may become a "land of promise" for all races and creeds, safeguarded by the League of

Nations which, it is expected will be one of the fruits of the

Peace Conference to whose deliberations the world now looks forward so anxiously and so full of hope. We ask that Palestine be constituted as a free and independent state, to be governed under a democratic form of government recognizing no distinction of creed or race or ethnic descent, and with adequate power to protect the 108

country against oppression of any land. We do not wish to see

Palestine, either now or at any time in the future, organized as

a Jewish State." (Morris Jastrow, Zionism and the Future of

Palestine, New York, Macmillan Co., 1919, p. 159. The full

text of the Statement signed by prominent American Jews was

published in The New York Times on March 5, 1919, under the

headline "Protest to Wilson Against Zionist State; Representative

Jews Ask Him to Present It to the Peace Conference."

JABER: Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978 and in 1982. Can you

give us a summary of the crimes committed by Israel against the

Lebanese and the Palestinians in Lebanon?

IN: Israel had always a plan to interfere in the internal

situation in Lebanon. On February 27, 1954, Ben Gurion wrote a

letter to foreign minister Moshe Sharrett, in which he stated:

"Perhaps now is the time to bring about the creation of a

Christian State in our neighborhood. Without our initiative and our vigorous aid this will not be done. It seems to me that this is the central duty, or a least one of the central duties, of our foreign policy. This means that time, energy, and means ought to be invested in it and that we must act in all possible ways to bring about a radical change in Lebanon.

"The goal will not be reached, of course, without a restriction of Lebanon's borders. But if we can find men in Lebanon and exiles from it who will be ready to mobilize for the creation of a Maronite state, extended borders and a large Muslim population will be of no use to them and this will not constitute a disturbing factor."

In spite of the fact that Lebanon signed the Armistice Agreement 109 with Israel on March 23, 1949, Israel constantly, every year, carried out aerial attacks, using American and French airp1anes, to attack many villages in Lebanon, killing and maiming hundreds of mer women and children, destroying homes, farms, commercial buildings, and schools.

On March 14, 1978 thirty thousand Israeli troops invaded

Lebanon. By March 19 the Israeli invaders had occupied all of the region of Lebanon south of the Litani river. The Israeli

Air Force also used illegal cluster bombs for the first time during this invasion.

The Lebanese authorities estimated the total number of

Lebanese and Palestinians killed by Israel at 1,168, half of them civilians. Some 285,000 people were made homeless in South Lebanon.

An investigation by the International Committee of the Red Cross estimated that 80% of the villages and towns in Southern Lebanon were damaged. On March 19, 1978 the United Nations Security

Council adopted Resolution 425 (1978) which called "for strict respect for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized boundaries." It then called "upon Israel to immediately cease its military action against Lebanese territorial integrity and withdraw forwith its forces from all Lebanese territory."

In spite of Security Council resolutions, Israel continued to raid Lebanon with aircraft and commando ground attacks.

On June 6, 1982 Israel launched a full scale invasion of

Lebanon with a force of 90,000 Israeli soldiers. General Ariel

Sharon commanded the invasion force. The three war criminals most responsible for the 1982 invasion of Lebanon were Ariel Sharon, 110

Menahem Begin, and Chief of Staff General Rafael Eitan.

Israeli planes and naval vessels, and Israeli artillery,

tanks and automatic weapons wreaked devastation on Lebanese

and Palestinians living in Lebanon.

The Israeli Forces were responsible, and especially Ariel

Sharon, for the Sabra and Shatila massacre, during which

the Phalangists massacred 2,750 Palestinian refugees according

to a Red Cross body count. During the massacre on the night

of September 16-17, 1982 the Israeli forces continually fired

illumination flares over the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian Refugee

Camp to assist the Phalangist gangs which directly committed the massacre. General Amir Drori, Sharon's senior subordinate, telephoned

Sharon and told him: "Our friends are advancing into the camps. I have

coordinated their entry with their top men." Sharon answered,

"Felicitations, the operations of our friends is approved." (Lamb,

Franklin P., Reason Not the Need: Israel's War in Lebanon, London:

Spokesman, 1984, p. 103).

Israeli writers Ze'ev Schiff and Ehud Ya'ari also verified

Sharon and Eitan's complicity in the Sabra and Shatila massacre:

"The refugee camps were surrounded. 'I'd send in the Phalangists,'

Sharon observed. Eitan commented, 'They're thirsting for revenge,' he said, 'and there could be torrents of blood. '" (Schiff, Ze~ ev and

Ehud Ya'ari, Israel's Lebanon War, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984, p. 258.)

Excluding the victims of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the

Lebanese REd Cross reported on November 30, 1982 that 19,085 persons

had been killed and 31,915 wounded in the Israeli invasion 9 and that 111

in West Beirut, for example, 80% of the casualties were civilians

and one third of the casualties were less than 15 years old.

By June 17, 1982 800,000 people had been displaced because of

the Israeli "invasion of Lebanon and 100,000 Palestinian refugees were made homeless because of the Israeli destruction of the Palestinian

refugee camps in the south of Lebanon.

The Israeli Kahan Commission Report, published on February

7, 1983 states that "Minister of Defense Ariel Sharon bears personal

responsibility for the Sabra and Shatila massacre."

The Military Law Review, the official legal periodical of the

United States Department of Defense, in its Issue No. 107,

published an exhaustive 118 page analysis by Liutenant Commander Weston

D. Burnett, Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Navy, on

the Israeli responsibility for the massacre. He concluded that

"The verdict can only be guilty in regard to the Israelis."

A distinguished International Commission of Jurists condemned

Israel for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Committed in Lebanon.

It stated inter alia in a lengthy report: "The Commission considers that Israel has been guilty of aggression against the sovereignty of

Lebanon and the rights of the Palestinian people. Such aggression has taken place contrary to the provisions of the United Nations

Charter and other fundamental principles of international law. Such a violation of international law has been described by the principle legal body of the UN, the International Law Commission, as a crime undr international law." 112

Sharon tried to kill Yassir Arafat many times by bombing homes where Arafat was supposed to be staying. Sharon did not succeed.

However, Sharon insisted that all PLO Officers and Members of the

Armed Forces should be expelled from Lebanon. There was an agreement between the Arab Governments and the United States that the PLO Forces should be carried out from Lebanon by ships and they were sent to Egypt and other Arab countries.

JABER: Did the United Nations condemn the Sabra and Shatila

Massacre?

IN: The General Assembly of the United Nations on December 17, 1982 passed Resolution 37/134, Assistance to the Palestinian People, which stated:

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution ES-7/5 of 26 June 1982,

Recalling also Security Council resolution 512(1982) of 19 June 1982,

Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolution 1982/48

of 27 July 1982,

Expressing its deep alarm at the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which

claimed the lives of a very large number of civilian Palestinians,

Horrified by the Sabra and Shatila massacre,

Noting with deep concern the dire need of the Palestinian victims

of the Israeli invasion for urgent humanitarian assistance,

Noting the need to provide economic and social assistance to the

Palestinian people,

1. Condemns Israel for its invasion of Lebanon, which inflicted

severe damage on civilian Palestinians, including heavy loss of 113 human life, intolerable suffering and massive material destruction;

2. Endorse Economic and Social Council resolution 1982/48;

3. Calls upon Governments and relevant United Nations bodies to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian victims of the

Israeli invasion of Lebanon;

4. Requests the relevant programmes, agencies, organs and organizations of the United Nations system to intensify their efforts, in cooperation with the Palestine Liberation Organization, to provide economic and social assistance to the Palestinian people;

5. Also request that United Nations assistance to the Palestinians in the Arab host countries should be rendered in cooperation with the

Palestine Liberation Organization and with the consent of the Arab host Government concerned;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth session, through the Economic and Social Council, on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution. l09th plenary meeting, 17 December 1982

General Assembly resolution 37/l23D 16 December 1982

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 95(1) of 11 December 1946, in which it, inter alia, affirmed that genocide is a crime under international law which the civilized world condemns, and for the commission of which principals and accomplices - whether private individuals, public officials or statesmern, and whether the crime is committed on religious, racial, political or any other grounds - are punishable,

Referring to the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and

Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the General Assembly 114 on 9 December 1948.

Recalling the relevant provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949.

Appalled at the large-scale massacre of Palestinian civilians in the

Sabra and Shatila refugee camps situation in Beirut,

Recognizing the universal outrage and condemnation of that massacre,

Recalling its resolution ES-7/9 of 24 Semptember 1982.

1. Condemns in the strongest terms the large-scale massacre of

Palestinian civilians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps;

2. Resolves that the massacre was an act of genocide." PALESTINE 1947

(=.:.:-:.:.:.:.] Jewish S~te ......

Arab State r...... ,

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144. Palestine according to the United Nations Partition Plan 1947. The majority of the population in the area demarked for the Jewish State were Palestinian Arabs. .. ~".'

AS RESULT OF ARM1$T1CE AGREEMENTS Israeli Occupied Territo~ [ITJ r-:-:-:I Jordan t...:-:..:J Ga3a Strip ~ Demilitari3ed Zone ~ No- Man$ Land ..

Ga33 Khan't'unis Rafah

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I.... ,n..}" ". ~I()II\!dt: .,.. HEBRON 15% ,-HEBRO~ SOURCES

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Dark areas Jewish-owned blocks but including sporadically distributed Arab and non-Jewish properties.

Hatchured Areas - Mixed ownership with Arab predominance.

White Areas - Contain no Jewish properties. Greaterjerusalenl -1994 West. Ba11k

DelrDibmn ~ .> . ; ... --•'* 'I .\. . • j 8eitUr a·TahtJ BeJ tunla • BtitUral-~ • • • ~lcMil:.nwh •1Ch. tt-Mu5bah a-Diyo I-Ttrehe kit Duqou • e JE] kit Anan. Beir Itza

al·Qbeibeh • • A10n Qatanna• Vere

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• ~edar

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BeltJr • aJ.lChadare Nahaleen • N~efanJel Artas• Palestinian Israeli Population Population lWffi1ae Z'aura • Kh. aJ..Ma·WJ~ • HarmaJah • Rash Zwim· ELaur • Kh. an Natsh • ~550 • Jont a-Shama ..De~ • Nol:dim 551,1,550 Aloo Sbvut • Ernt e •• • 1.__ • • Tc~ 1,551·3,000 ~ Etzlon ..Umm Manb."R.tbah Taqua • • 3,001·5,000 lord• MigdaIOz.· Salmlnna (lIatAInj • • 5,00]-18,000 Brit Ummar • •• Bell Fallar al·'Arroub RC • 18,001-39,000 • KaimelZur • e· • Xh. &!·'Arroub • Kh...DUbeh ~ •0 2 ~ 6 e kHometers I ! 1 ! ! ! I j i I I ~ 0 5 miles ~

ound2lion (or Middlt' £..;aC'f Pe-"Ice-. jPn.Lj.01NtJ Pust. Pe~ce p..,:o",: West Bank Hilltop Settlements and Land Confiscations -June 1999

• LEGEND Pale!;linian Autonomous Area ( Area A; Full Civil and Secunty Control) • Palestinian Autonomous An,a I Area B; Full CiVil ContrOl, ISRAEL D Join! Isr, I Pal. Security Control) Area C; Israeli Civil and D Security Control Outline of Areas claimed by D Isriml as SIiWJ land 1967 - 1998 larger conliguous Areas exproprialed by Israel as Stale rand sillce the Wye Memorandum Nov~)mber 199B

Israeli Settlement Set1lement Expansion Site after the Wye Memorandum Settlement Expansion Site eslablished Winter-Spring 1999 Ne~Nork at ISlaeli (re)constructecl and scheduled thllroughfal'es

fA SETILEMENT SITES SINCE Nov,199B

1 - Site Nor!h of Avne Hefez 2 - Site East 01 Brakha 3 - Site Southwest of Elan Moreh 4· Sile Southeast of Elon Moreh 5 - Fiacllelim 6 ' Site Norltl 01 I:li 7 - Si le Soulh of Ma'alo Levona 8 - Site SouIII 01 I:li 9 ' SitB South 01 Srlilo! Shvut RacllOl 10 ' Sil8 East of Shllo II' Giv'al Zit Ra'anan I Tullnon ) 12 - Giv'at Horet;h ( Tallllon ) 13 - Milpe DailY ( Ma'ale Miktllll

Dead BYPASS rFlAJECTORIES ,0:.,'('(/ ANNOUNCED SINCE Marcli 1999

rtHlt~ E:;ll!1;nlul SI1HT1.J OI!llllld HO.ld Na,IIHlI . D'll,!'! 1>';IIIJl1I'/<.I 110;1(1 'NllhH11f1l) 110all ,jll,)11:1 ::;11"0 EllldllUlJI !\t.l{juITllfn 11uZld :),111111 1'1'''1<111 1-lurlll,,,,11 l'1u;11I 1'.1011 MlJldll MOIIIII Ebdlll0ild

.:. Report on Israeli Settlement .I uly- All ~\lS t llJC)lJ