יומנים > יומן - מלא 31/10/1948

Sunday, October 31, 1948, Nazareth [Ben-Gurion's Emphasis]

This morning I left for Nazareth, the Northern Front staff [headquarters].

       [Moshe Carmel's reports:] In the morning an order was issued to stop at 11, unless we're attacked. Two brigades were operating - 7, 9 [Oded], an armored unit and an infantry company of Golani (Spiegel Brigade [Nahum Golan]) - these carried out a deception operation in the [Lower] Galilee - in Sejera and ''Eilabun.

       Qawuqji had - in his words - 3 brigades, in fact only 5 full battalions. We started the action with Brigade 7 [applying] pressure from Safed to Meron, they encountered landmines, on Friday night [October 28-29] they seized Meron and Safsaf and Jish. They reached Jish on Friday morning. On Friday afternoon [as the evening approached, actually] we reached Sa'sa' - a fortified village that would have held on for months if it had been in our hands. The village was emptied out. Afterwards we conquered the village of Bir'am. Yesterday morning (on Saturday) Tarshiha fell. Our Air Force [was mobilized] - but wasn't a decisive factor. Sometimes it didn't manage to hit the target. Most of Tarshiha's residents fled. After [the capture of] Tarshiha [by the 9th Brigade], the 7th Brigade went to Malkiyya. The 9th Brigade attacked the villages between Tarshiha and Sa'sa' and seized control of the northern road.

       This morning at 5-6 we arrived and conquered Malkiyya. We captured about 200 POWs, a few hundred were killed, a majority of Qawuqji's army fled in disarray. The loot - 3 cannons (2 2-pound, anti-tank C. [cannon], 1 75 mm [cannon], two armored vehicles, a number of vehicles, supply depots, cars, clothing, etc.).

       The 2nd Brigade [Carmeli] (under Maxie Kahan) went to the Upper Galilee [from the Huleh Valley], conquered Sheikh ''Abed [Qawuqji's stronghold, south of Manara]. We shifted from the Eastern Galilee (in Bleida [Yiftah] and Manara) to the Lebanon border westward, about 3 km - the northern border is [from] Manara [to] opposite Bleida, we're in control near Buq'aa [evidently Mhaibib, north of Bleida].

       The road to Manara and Bleida is absolutely free.

       The village of Yaroun gave us its weapons and asked to have a garrison force. One of Qawuqji's battalions came out intact (the one stationed near Manara and Bleida), the other battalions suffered.

       We had 19 killed, among them ten Druze. A company of Druze (including 3 Jews, all killed) fought in the (Druze) village of Yanuh. At first they received them peacefully, but when Qawuqji arrived the village joined the enemy. Circassians also fought alongside us - a company - they mainly guarded the strongholds between Safed and Meron. They didn't come in contact with the enemy. The role of the Druze is unclear - because our three men who were with them didn't return. According to the Druze 40 residents of the village of Yanuh were killed.

       How many of our forces are engaged now? - Two brigades: from Rosh HaNikra to Malkiyya there's the 9th Brigade, plus 2 garrison battalions from the Haifa District (450 men in each battalion). They're also sending a patrol to the inner Galilee. The Carmeli Brigade (Maxie Kahan) is engaged with the Syrians, so that only the Golani Brigade (Spiegel) [Nahum Golan] and Seven [7th Brigade] (Benny [Dunkelman]) are free.

       In Moshe [Carmel]'s view, there were 60,000 Arabs, locals and refugees, in the Galilee "pocket." Half have already fled, and more will flee. Jish, Safsaf, Sa'sa' and a large part of Tarshiha have completely emptied out. All the villages that fought them - the villagers fled, but many more will flee.

       The 7th Brigade needs a week's rest, in Moshe's view. A few vehicles have broken down and need to be repaired.

       A battalion of Syrians that came from Lebanon was entirely destroyed: the Syrians had 10 battalions, now only 9 are left. It turns out that they were harder hit than we thought during the ten days. Since the truce they haven't fired a single shot. During the two days of the Galilee operation they didn't move at all. But they barricaded [themselves] and apparently only want to hold on to what they have.

       Moshe thinks that with two battalions he'll be able to capture the Damiyah Bridge and entrench themselves there - if pressure is put on the Triangle from other sides as well. Going against the Triangle requires 5 brigades in his view. Alexandroni's garrison brigade won't be considered a brigade, because it's stationed in strongholds. Moshe himself only has two brigades for this purpose. Seizing control of Wadi Ara requires taking Umm al-Fahm.

       Encirclement is better than a frontal attack. When we tried to take back the strongholds near Manara we had 33 losses (killed) and about forty wounded from the Carmeli Brigade. Now - in the whole large-scale operation - we lost only 10 who were killed and a few dozen wounded.

       I toured the city of Nazareth - it's been some years since I was there. Relations with the residents are good. Only the priests undermine one another and send information to the government.

       At 1 back to the Hill [General Staff in Ramat Gan].

       - At 4 government meeting.

       - The Iraqi commander in the country (Salah al-Din Saeb [should be: Saleh Saeb al-Jubouri]) telegraphed his government yesterday saying: "Re your cable 258 of October 30. The situation as noted below in the southern region: the Egyptian units retreated from Ashdod to Majdal, the Egyptian forces in Iraq-Manshiyya and al-Faluja and Iraq-Suweidan are surrounded and have no contact with the other forces. The Gaza - Al-Majdal road is under enemy threat, and the Egyptians are using the other route, west of the main route, to transport supplies and for transportation. Beersheva, Beit Jubin, Beit Hanoun, and the entire territory between these three and many villages north of it are in Jewish hands. The northern territory: last night, assisted by the air fleet, the Jews attacked the liberation forces [the Arab Liberation Army] in the northern territory and forced them to retreat to the Lebanese border. None remain in Eretz Israel aside from the Iraqi army and the Legion.

       "I've already expressed my opinion of the Jordanian command and … the war in the country. The Jews started concentrating their forces against our forces a week ago and there have already been clashes and battles between us. In these battles the Jews used field cannons that they didn't previously have, and even so our forces overpowered and repelled them. No doubt you are assessing this situation after the Arab forces retreated from the north and from the south, which was what I feared.

       "I emphasize that the Arab governments' efforts should be doubled and the war's action plans unified.

       "It's necessary to clarify and reveal the truth about the situation, and the important role being played by the Iraqi army and its current situation, to the government, to personages, and to the Iraqi people."

       - In the evening we conferred - [Yigael] Yadin, Ya'akov [Dori], and I. Yigael asked: What's next? [See the assessment of the situation on October 30.] I told him: we must wait a few days, to see what reaction takes shape in Paris. If Bevin were to act in a strictly rational manner, without anti-Semitic emotions, he would have to reach the conclusion that the Arab army is no longer worth anything, that we're the only military force in the Middle East now, and therefore he must immediately find effective means of destroying us - or come to terms with us as with an important force. But it's not clear whether he's capable of reaching a clear conclusion. In the meantime we must take down the "pocket" of Faluja - without seriously violating the truce. Preventing the delivery of supplies, bringing down Egyptian planes (again today they brought food by planes, and we took down one plane). If in the coming days something severe and serious doesn't happen in Paris, then we must take the next step in a week or this weekend: attacking the Jenin, Umm al-Fahm, Tulkarm, Beit Nabala, and Tubas triangle (from the Jordan Valley). Yigael thinks that this requires four brigades - he has three, and therefore he proposes shifting Harel to near Beit Nabala, so that they attack in the direction of Kafr Qassem.

       If we reach Nablus, Ramallah will fall on its own and Jerusalem will be liberated, the Legion will flee to Transjordan, and the entire country will be in our hands.

       Yigael is concerned that the Egyptian force in Majdal will be used for Gaza, and he's heading south tomorrow.