יומנים > יומן - מלא 23/12/1948

Thursday, December 23, 1948

Dr. [Yaakov] Herzog from the Ministry of Religious Affairs came to see me - regarding relations with the Christians, and especially the Vatican. The Vatican's eastern department is against us; its foreign relations office is fair, at least on the face of it. Signor Testa in Bethlehem incites against us, but the clergy is against him. The desecration of monasteries and thefts by the army spark anger. On the part of the Vatican there is no opposition in principle to statehood. The main concern is communism. But there is opposition to a Jewish Jerusalem and they demand the return of the [Arab] refugees. They demand representation of Christian workers in the labor bureau in Nazareth. [Monsignor Anthony] Vergani is the vicar of the Galilee. McMahon wants to see me.

       [Herzog reports that] Rabbi Fishman [Y.L. Maimon] is sorry about the dispute over meat. I sent him a letter [stating that] he should meet with [Peretz] Bernstein to resolve the matter.

       - [Elimelech] Avner [the military governor]: The Ministry of Labor opened a labor bureau in Nazareth, which is run mainly by Communists. They're prepared to give half to Brit Po'alei Eretz Israel [BPEI, the Workers of Eretz Israel Alliance, an organizational unit founded by the General Federation of Hebrew Workers in Eretz Israel in order to unionize non-Jewish workers, i.e., Arabs, or to cooperate with Arab workers' councils who were willing to do so; a few years after this failed experiment the Histadrut (General Federation of Workers) decided to admit non-Jewish workers and removed the term "Hebrew" from its name] on the condition that they receive half in all the other bureaus. In the meantime religious Christian workers organized. The Communists then proposed giving 30% to BPEI, 20% to the Christians, 50% to the Communists. Two days ago Avner gave options to open a bureau for BPEI as well, and if the religious come as well - to give them the same. The Custodian [of Abandoned Property] took a thousand workers from the Communist bureau for the olive harvest and other [projects]. The governor in Nazareth can only take from the bureau. The Ministry of Labor also supported the bureau, by paying a salary to the administrator and also by requiring employers to accept workers from this bureau. BPEI has bureaus in Majdal, Jaffa, Haifa, [and] Ramle. I telephoned Borstein [Reuven Bareket], who promised to send someone to Nazareth today, and if the bureau hasn't opened yet, to immediately approach the governor and open a bureau.

       I told Avner that he must staunchly defend the residents of Gaza and the surrounding area, if they're conquered. The policy is to leave the inhabitants in place, to prevent any attempted robbery. The candidate for governor in Gaza is Makonovsky [sp.] (Bendov) from Be'er Tuvia, currently director of the water department in the [Jewish] Agency. He's bringing 150 men to the Negev, and requesting 500-600 men from Yigal Allon. Yigael Yadin promised 10 vehicles [for the military government in the Negev].

       In Majdal there remain 1,400 Arabs; 3,000 immigrants can be brought in. The Staff is not opposed to this. Afikim BaNegev [a company engaged in the development of Beersheva] wants to enter Beersheva, but the army isn't clearing out rooms. I issued instructions to the chief of staff to order the army to free up half the city immediately for civilian purposes.

       Arab affairs are handled by 5 ministers: minorities, defense, agriculture, labor, interior. This is puzzling: why not foreign affairs, and why both labor and agriculture. This committee decided to evacuate the villages of Saffuriya, Farradiyya [today Parod], Kafr ''Inan [near Parod] and transfer them to Tur'an and Reineh [east of Nazareth], which are settled, and also to assemble the Bedouins of Zbeih [sp.] [east of Tavor] and transfer them to ''Ein Mahil [east of Nazareth].

       - The Operations Department reports: There's no rain in the Negev (here it started raining during the night and hasn't stopped). All actions are being carried out according to plan. The air fleet did its part. Spiegel [Nahum Golan, Golani commander] started mobilizing during the night and captured the strongholds as planned, and only near ''Auja were they unable to overcome all the obstacles. The enemy is pressing down on him.

       - The Defense Committee's subcommittee on matters of authority: [Yosef] Sapir, Grabovsky [Meir Argov], and [Ya'akov] Riptin. They demand 1) To be included in the discussion before a decision on any question of reorganization. 2) More complete military reviews, like those they use to receive "in the good old days." 3) To serve as a pipeline that discusses all public questions - as I understood it, [this means] that they can raise questions and demand a discussion. 4) To be included in the army's funding. 5) That I invite experts to give the committee detailed reviews. I agreed to [items] 5, 4, on the condition that those concerned agree (the other ministers, the finance ministry). [Items] 3, 2 - no; I'll provide reviews only as I see fit, not as [Moshe] Swirsky wants - spicy stories. [Item] 1 - on the condition that no action is delayed.

       - I summoned [Giora] Josephtal to clarify the question of housing [for immigrants]. The Committee of Three met yesterday. The Navy will clear out of St. Lucas [Camp] and move to a different camp near Haifa; two small camps near Kiryat Motzkin and another two camps in the Haifa area are being cleared out. Shaul [Avigur] is continuing to make inquiries. The army is turning over Beit Lid [Junction] Camp [Mahane 22] (near Kefar Yona).

       I told him to send 10,000 immigrants to Galilee villages - accompanied by guides. This will somewhat resolve the question of housing, but more than that - they'll settle in villages and work them [work their lands?] - and also to send immigrants to ''Ein Kerem, to settle and work. He told me that on the first day [Sunday ?] the first 150 families are going to ''Ein Kerem, and people are being sent to assess the villages. I warned him not to engage in over-planning - but to settle the villages and give them help [in the form of] cattle, guidance, work tools, water. [Some of them] will settle in and stay; the rest will leave. But time is precious - and he should expedite the settlement of tens of thousands of Jews in the Galilee.

       - The operation in the south [Horev] - its purpose is to defeat the Egyptian forces and drive them out of the country. During the first phase we'll seize strongholds to create staging bases and secure the operational areas along the designated road [the "Roman Road"]; second phase - conquest of the ''Auja area and the junction, harassment along the ''Isluj - ''Auja road, cutting off the ''Auja - Rafiah road, a raid on the El-''Arish base, sabotage of the railway tracks between Rafiah and El-''Arish, sabotage of the bridge near El-''Arish.

       Those participating in the operation will be Brigade 12 (Negev), 1 [Golani], 3 [Alexandroni], 8 [the Armored Brigade], 10 (Harel) (minus one battalion), Philistia ("HaShfela") District, the Negev District.

       - Manpower on December 9, 1948: Grand total [including those not available for service] 106,777, of whom [there are] 3,096 fallen, 958 POWs, 1,296 deserters, 629 missing, 116 [in] discharge station, 113 prisoners, 4,128 ill and wounded. The remainder [in active service:] 96,441, distributed as follows: Hayish [Field Corps] 26,005 (st. [standard] 35,457, shortfall 9,452), garrison 14,047 (st. 16,035, sh. 1,988); artillery corps 3,918 (st. 7,005), [heavy] mortars 913 (st. 1,605), engineering corps 2,839 (3,269), signal 1,956 (2,652), paratroopers 292 (547), minorities 405 (794), Personnel Department services 14,692, Logistics Department services 12,645, Operations Department services 1,264, miscellaneous 3,158 (total [overall and land] 82,134), Air Force 6,504 (7,500), Navy 3,035 (4,500) (overall total 91,673), training bases 2,582, transit camps 1,061, R.M. [reshima mekubetzet? i.e., collective list, a military unit without a manpower standard (quota) that comprises soldiers temporarily not being counted in other units as part of those units' standard] 1 [in transit?] 307, production and procurement 818 (of this, WC [Women's Corps] 10,259).

       - Ya'akov [Dori] and [Moshe] Zadok came to see me. Zadok explained the process of discharging people from the army. Under present circumstances this requires a month, although according to him the assessment is done well and encompasses at least 97%. He agrees to release most of the fathers of 3 children. For Jerusalem it will be necessary to send reserves [replacements], because there's a large number of this category [there].

       Ya'akov [Dori] finished handing [Isser] Be'eri over for trial. He doesn't see Eli Kirschner as a replacement [for Be'eri], and he prefers Yan [Ya'akov Yanai, Signal Corps commander]; in place of Yan [he proposes] [Eddie, Eliezer] Aharonov.

       [Haim] Slavin and Eliahu Sacharoff came to see me. He wants to produce heavy ammunition, the ammunition for 65 and 75 C. [cannons] is outdated, and expensive for us. He thinks they should be produced here. This requires heavy machinery from America. The American government intends to take the machines back and prohibits their export. $3 million will be needed, 1 immediately, 2 at a later stage. With self-production a shell will only cost 40% of what we are paying abroad; for example a 120 mm mortar shell costs $60 abroad, [and] here they make it for P£ 5.5 [which is] $17. The first series will be completed nine months after the machines arrive here.

       I told them that at present we don't have dollars, we also need dollars for procurements, and when we obtain [them] - there will be a question of prioritization: whether [to acquire] fighter planes and tanks and cannons that we need to finish the war, or shells for a non-existent war.

       Slavin is also complaining about budget cuts. His work capacity is P£ 200,000 per month, [but] they're only working at 140,000. He insists that he be given the task of handling tanks.

       - [Professors Laszlo] Farkas and [Shmuel] Sambursky came to see me regarding scientific council matters. Farkas is leaving for America in three months for medical faculty matters and also for the Air Force. I asked him to look into laboratories and medical scientific equipment, especially physics related, and I'll acquire the means for their purchase.

       - In the evening a writer for the Christian Science Monitor [Francis-Amir Ofner] came to see me - questions about policy, the future, etc.

       - Dr. [Aryeh] Altman [from HaTzohar - the Revisionist Zionist Party] came to see me once again. He's requesting a loan from the [Jewish] Agency ($100,000!) for the elections. The rationale: to fight Herut…

       - 4 "Spits" [Spitfire planes] arrived. Another six are on the way here. The two that fell - survived.

       - Half an hour before 12 (midnight) I was brought this telegram: "1) Battalion 13 was repelled from stronghold 86 by a counter-attack involving tanks and infantry. Our forces suffered losses. 2) Constant rain in Beersheva and its surroundings. Sa'ad Road is not passable" (this cable was sent [at] 232020, that is, three hours ago).