יומנים > יומן - מלא 27/04/1948

April 27, 1948 The newspapers announce that Abdallah has "declared war" on the Zionists. Declared or didn't declare is neither here nor there. It was clear all along that we are facing two things: aerial bombardment by Egyptian, Iraqi, and other forces, and an attack by the Arab Legion. - [Eliezer] Kaplan and [Chaim] Herzog met two days ago with [General Gordon] MacMillan [commander of British forces in Palestine] concerning Sheikh Jarrah. He demanded the evacuation of both Arabs and Jews from the location, because he doesn't want to put up with disruptions of his transport lines. He promised freedom of the road to the university. He also undertook to announce [in advance] when the British would vacate the area. He agreed to secure supply convoys to Atarot and Neve Ya'akov provided similar convoys of the Arabs on the same road won't be attacked. [He] agrees to remove women and children [from there] if we demand it. - Gershon Zack: A port for our pieces [vessels] is needed. The right place is Abu Zaboura [Michmoret]; it'll cost P£ 60,000. Torpedos can be manufactured. 3 will cost PL 7,000. [Simcha] Blass promises that they can be made in 4-5 weeks. Make them fast, at any price! - Reuven [Shiloah]: Thursday (two days from now) a meeting is set up in Afula with a brigadier of the Arab Legion [concerning Kibbutz Gesher]. From our side, [Shlomo] Shamir and Reuven will take part. - Herzfeld wants to set up a series of outposts: (1) Mis [Yiftah)] on the main road between Kedesh [Naftali] and Manara, 2,000 dunams, split up and worked by households. (2) An army camp that we bought-Malkiyya-on the Lebanese border, 3,000 dunams. (3) Tuba [Kefar HaNasi]-next to Rosh Pinna-2,500 dunams, abutting the Jordan. (4) Samara [Haon], next to ''Ein Gev, 1,200 dunams. (5) Deweir-on the banks of the Yarmouk-1,500 dunams. (6) Shatawa [Neve Ur], between Bet Yosef and Gesher-1,000 dunams. (7) Ashrafiyya [Reshafim]-next to Mesilot, 5,200 dunams. (8) Umm ''Ajra (next to ''Ein HaNetsiv) 2,000 dunams. (9) Hamra or Khunayzir (next to Tirat Zvi) 3,000 dunams. (10) [Mount] Gilboa-a 1,000 dunam land reserve next to the Harod bloc. (11) Kafr Mesr [next to ''Ein Dor] (alongside the Kefar Tavor-''Afula road) 4,500 dunams, another 1,000 dunams to be released. (12) Mahalul (next to Kefar HaHoresh) 1,500 dunams. (13) Daliyat a-Ruha [Ramot Menashe] (between Yokne'am and Zikhron [Ya'akov]) 3,000 dunams. (14) Butimat (next to Even Yitzhak) 3,500 dunams. (15) ''Atil [Talme Eliezer] (abutting Hadera to the east) 2,500 dunams. (16) Zayta (as before) 2,000 dunams. (17) Faliq [Poleg] (on the seashore, near Faliq stream) 1,200 dunams. (18) Ibn Shosha (next to Gezer) 1,200-2,000 dunams. (19) Ekron 1,500 dunams (across from Wadi Serar). (20) [Kefar] HaKana'im (next to Gedera, abutting the Masmiyya-Latrun road) 750 dunams. (21) Bashshit (between Yavne and Gedera) 1,100 dunams. (22) Majdal (across from Nitzanim) 1,420 dunams. (23) Ashdod 2,000 dunams. (24) Dikron (next to GalOn) 2,200 dunams. (26) [In the original-blank]. (26) Ruhama B [blank]. (27) Nevatim B. (28) Isluj B [Mashabe Sade]. 2,500-3,000 dunams each. P£ 25,000 will be needed for each outpost. In all, Kaplan will have to give P£ 225,000 and JNF the rest. - At 11:00 I invited members of both [Labor] parties [Mapam and Mapai]: [Aharon] Zisling, [Mordechai] Bentov, [Yitzhak] Ben-Aharon, Berl Raptor, Yisrael [Galili], Shkolnik [Levi Eshkol], Golda [Meir], Nemirovsky [Mordechai Namir], Yosef Yizraeli. I spoke first: The defense bureau was the first thing for me at the Executive all along. I viewed this role without any party or class content. Neither setting up a state nor establishing an army-one may find class content in these-but defense: to protect the Yishuv's existence and freedom simply because it is a Jewish Yishuv. I saw that the Haganah, in terms of its quantity, its equipment, its regimen, and its education, is unsuited to the new necessity. There's no military knowledge, no military regimen. The changes that had to be made ran into conscious and unconscious resistance. I didn't make several needed changes on the assumption that they'd do harm than good in terms of discord in the public and in the party. There were failures and disasters-some unavoidable, some tracing to regimen and non-military habits: [the] Nebi Daniel [convoy], Nebi Yusha. There were cases of neglect: [the] Lod [airfield], Deir Ayoub. Our strength wasn't put to maximum use. Manpower wasn't distributed purposefully. There's a civilian regimen that isn't suited to the needs and is merely a product of the march of history: command headquarters (that isn't a command headquarters) and defense committee, splitting of responsibilities. In the military field: the Palmach-a sectarian, partisan organization. There's not enough military training, no regimen. Some commanders are out of place and forces aren't being utilized. The [General] Staff isn't aggressive enough-I won't be held responsible if I can't adjust the system to what's needed for victory. Yisrael [Galili] spoke-the center of gravity lies in the Yishuv's lack of self-governance and failure to meet the military needs. There was no mobilized force due to errors in reading the political situation, the pace of mobilization, funding of supplies. There's only 50 percent of the standard. Improvements won't change things. The people at the center must be held clearly responsible. There's no Chief of General Staff, no Chief of National Headquarters, [no] national command. [There's] a manager [minister] of defense-but no one knows what his authority is. Each of them needs authority: Who's authorized to appoint and fire commanders of a given grade? How to position battalions, how to apportion manpower, who determines whom a battalion belongs to, who distributes weapons to where, who determines the structure of the units, does the high command have a reserve that it can call on? He proposes that the Palmach be formed of three brigades that answer to the high command and not to the area commanders. If the Chief of [Haganah] National Headquarters has no room to operate and no authority-let's not have one. An arrangement in which the manager [minister] of defense has direct contact with the Chief of General Staff is inefficient. As for himself, Y.G. thinks he's a "general address for the members." I asked Y.G.: If he manages the defense bureau-will he agree that someone else will give the Chief of General Staff orders? He answered that he wouldn't accept the [defense] portfolio if he couldn't give the Chief of General Staff direct orders. [Yitzhak] Ben-Aharon disagreed with me: Every party believes it serves the [collective] via the party. There's a class and labor interest in the Haganah. Pioneerism made the whole force. We won't establish an army on the basis of the British Army. [The Palmach] is an instrument of pioneering spirit. If there's a disadvantage on party grounds-it'll be corrected. Apart from staff, a military command headquarters is needed. A defense bureau isn't a command headquarters. The chief of defense looks out for supplies, staff, general policy. Not a war of lopping heads. They elected a six-member committee to continue the inquiry. - In the afternoon, a delegation from the Jordan Valley: [Abraham] Haft [Degania], [Aryeh] Bahir [Afikim], Shimonovich (Ashdot [Ya'akov]). The Legion is entering Tsemah. They spoke with a British colonel. He promised to remain neutral. In the past few days, 200-300 Syrians [irregulars] have entered Tsemah. Should we move against them? There's no Jewish force there. In Montag's opinion, there's no reason to fear an attack and no need to add forces. The battalion commander from Gesher, Yitzhak Bornstein [Broshi], thinks a move should be made against Tsemah-he can mobilize 200 men. But there's no equipment and no heavy weapons whatsoever. A trained company has to be sent to Tsemah. - Grim reports from Jerusalem have come in-and at five I went up to Jerusalem. The flight took 20 minutes. But the airfield isn't secure. In Jerusalem, they told me about the talk with the consuls, [General] MacMillan, and [Henry] Gurney [the Chief Secretary of the Mandate Government]. Gurney seemingly denies the fact of Abdallah's invasion. MacMillan gives assurance that Transjordan has no aircraft.