יומנים > יומן - מלא 29/07/1948

Thursday, July 29, 1948

Yigael [Yadin] visited the southern front. Yesterday Egyptian planes shelled Egyptian columns twice. UN representatives were in Karatiyya when Egyptian Spitfires appeared and they saw that there's war [i.e., that the fighting continues]. They returned. The Egyptians are strong along the Majdal-Faluja segment - an Egyptian brigade is positioned there. Our forces will suppress the Egyptian movement, but serious action is not to be taken.

         I suggested that we plan a multi-dimensional action by way of the sea, in order to capture Gaza, putting about 2,000 men on ships and boats, [and] we'll launch a second action - dropping paratroopers in El-''Arish to destroy the Egyptians' airbase. Yigael doesn't think this is possible before September 1.

         Yigael and Zadok raised the question of garrison forces. Defending the strongholds requires 24 garrison battalions - we only have half. [We're] short 900 men. Without them the army's battalions should not be withdrawn from the strongholds, and they won't rest and won't train - and by the end of the truce they'll be tired and unfit for battle. I decided to convene the Committee of Five, with the participation of Yigael and [Moshe] Zadok, today or tomorrow.

         - Golda [Meir] arrived [from the US]. So far more than 50 million has been raised, of which we received 66% out of the sum of 45 million. Half of this went to the KKL. According to the calculations, the country should receive $29,700,000 ([from] both funds).

         - [Rabbi] Fishman and Zadok [arrived to discuss] religious arrangements. Yeshiva students won't be conscripted. In addition to [Natan] Gardi, who's in charge of kashrut, Rabbi Fishman will appoint his own representative - (someone from the "Aguda" [Agudas Israel]) to oversee kashrut, and the rabbis will propose candidates as religious [should be - military] rabbis, a rabbi for each brigade.

         - Julius Simon [president of the Palestine Economic Corporation] came to see me. They're having trouble raising capital for investments now, because people are only giving to the Haganah.

         - State Council in the afternoon.