יומנים > יומן - מלא 04/05/1948

May 4, 1948 The pilots [Air Service men]-Yehoshua Gilutz, Yehuda Helbitz, and Aharon Remez-demand the dispatch of a Dakota with twenty pilots [to abroad]-ten to bring 10 Messerschmitts that have already been purchased, and ten pilots for training missions. Yadin opposes this because a second Dakota is about to come in a few days' time. Now he has to send food to Western Galilee. I decided in favor of a quick trip because May 16 is only 12 days away and there might be a complication and we mustn't take a risk. Gilutz objects to the existing air management [command] and also opposes the appointment of Yisrael [Amir]; he wants Shkolnik [Eshkol]. Just then, Golda came by and stated that Rutenberg has agreed to release Hai [Yissacharov] for Air. - The yod-gimmel meeting is postponed until tomorrow because the weather is interfering with our airplanes' reaching Jerusalem. I asked Yigael about liberating the Jerusalem road. They're making all the preparations. Tonight they may attack Deir Ayoub and Kubab and maybe Ramle as well. The IZL got permission to attack Yehudiya [today: Yehud] and Kefar Ono [the Arab Kafr ''Ana, east of Tel Hashomer]. - [Bechor] Sheetrit and Yehezkel Sahar: the police thing hasn't budged. The commanders who are needed aren't forthcoming: Selig [Elimelech Avner] (refuses), Baruch Komarov (the regional intelligence officer in the south), Ziga Yavetz (an employee of the Tel Aviv Municipality), Avraham Ahituv (commander of civil defense or the Civil Guard). Yosef Yizraeli should have taken care of this-but didn't. Another impediment: Yisrael [Galili] ordered [Moshe] Zadok to introduce Yehezkel to Ya'akov [Dori] in order to decide whom [in the Haganah apparatus] to relieve of their duties in order to become police subdistrict commanders. A third impediment: equipment: 4 passenger cars, 23 pickup trucks, those of the auxiliaries. The high command ordered them to be given back to the police-and they haven't been returned to this day. The subdistrict commanders aren't obeying the order. I summoned Zadok and instructed him to make the appointments and work out with Ya'akov whom the subdistrict commanders [instead of those switching to the police] will be. - Eliahu Cohen [Ben-Hur, head of the Training Department]: training of gunners, establishing an armored battalion, munitions for training-they are urgent now. P£ 5,000 is needed for this. I agreed that the first two of these take precedence over everything. [Yosef] Gurion: the fortification [of the Jezreel Valley] is lagging-because targets have been added: a police school past Sede Nahum, the border corps held it and recently the army [Camp Gideon] (handed over to us by the local army without an order from above), and Kafr Qumi [north of ''Ein Harod] (the inhabitants left of their own good will). There's the Gilboa thing, etc. They're demanding a budget. I said that dealing with part of the budget when we have no budget at all isn't something I'm likely to do. - This evening, the first meeting of the People's Council.