יומנים > יומן - מלא 18/05/1948
[Tuesday,] May 18, 1948
I relayed [to the Chief of Staff] the navy's request to arm the ma'apilim ship HaTzfonit with two cannons in order to defend the immigrants coming from Cyprus. Yigael [Yadin], Ratner, [and] Lehrer objected on the grounds that the cannons are needed here. Shkolnik, Yosef R., Yisrael, and I are in favor.
A question from Bet Ha'Arava: Abdallah is demanding that weapons be turned over under the "terms of surrender." I advised responding [as follows]: 1) Not to turn over weapons, 2) [We] advise fighting a war of delay, until a path of retreat to the south is possible [to the factory in Sdom].
Twenty vehicles left for Jerusalem tonight [with equipment] for the army. Some of the vehicles will return tonight.
A convoy to the Negev - about 25 vehicles - arrived safely. The accompanying Givati armored vehicles returned safely from the Negev.
The situation in the Old City is bad. We're concentrated in the Batei Mahse [housing compound]. Etsiyyoni tried to break through Jaffa Gate; the Bishop Gobat School, which controls the [Old City of] Jerusalem, was captured. Two columns of the Legion are approaching Jerusalem - one from the Jericho side (the route is blocked), and [one] from the Ramallah side (blocked, not effectively). Two Harel brigades are in Jerusalem. The question is whether to continue fighting over the road or over the city. Jerusalem will decide.
In the Jordan Valley the situation is stable from [Kibbutz] Gesher northward. The Arabs have retreated and are barricaded between Tsemah and Samra [today - HaOn]. They're digging in. They're also digging in in the Upper Galilee. One column of the Legion [actually - Iraqis] has advanced toward Bet Yosef. We captured Kawkab al-Hawa [today - Kochav HaYarden] but the Legion attacked them.
Yigael suggests sending Moshe [Dayan] with a company of squad commanders [from a training course] to Jordan to operate behind the lines, and Lehrer is opposed to providing squad commanders because they haven't been in combat. We decided to appoint Moshe Dayan as front commander in the Jordan Valley.
Yitzhak [Sadeh] suggests launching an attack on the Ramallah road - this would liberate a route to Jerusalem - and to make use of Shlomo's brigade [7th Brigade] for this purpose. Yigael proposes immediately mobilizing Harel along the Jerusalem-Ramallah road. They have 1,200 men, only 700-800 are fighters.
I asked: What's happening with food for Jerusalem? First of all, we have to bring food to Jerusalem. We've approved the general approach of launching a large-scale attack on the Ramallah road; in the meantime let's bring enough food into Jerusalem. We'll decide when to launch the operation once we see how things are developing in Jerusalem, its surroundings, and other areas.
We decided to broadcast an appeal to all the country's residents to provide dishes, clothes, blankets, etc. - for the army.
Yisrael [Galili] suggested that after Shlomo's brigade is formed - an armored [battalion] and two [infantry] battalions - Eliahu [Ben-Hur] establish two battalions [from the training staff and trainees at the Training Department]. Shlomo's brigade has priority in terms of provisions.
[Dr. Shimshon] Unichman [of the Revisionists Party] came to see me. He congratulated [me] and asked [me] to fill in for two people: Eliahu Golomb and [Ze'ev] Jabotinsky.
I answered: As to Golomb's part - in many areas, not all, because I'm missing some qualities that Eliahu has. As to Jabo's positive side: - Jewish power, independence, honor - yes. He said that this was what he meant.
He is demanding [his party's] inclusion in the government. I gave him two reasons for not doing this: First, at this point it could spark a crisis, and we cannot afford a crisis right now. We are on the verge of statehood, and we must not let our shame be exposed before we have fortified ourselves. This is reason enough. A second reason - they must change their image in the public consciousness: on matters of labor, security, and Zionism.
He asked that we make this task easier for him. I told him: There are a few who want to help - their help is conditional on the Revisionists' conduct.
Unichman believes that if they join the government - they will propose [Menachem] Begin. He's not sure whether the IZL will disband, although he thinks it should. They [the Revisionists Party] will not back a refusal by the IZL to disband.
- [Mordechai] Namir is proposing himself as an envoy to Moscow or a "Slavic" country.
- At 11:30 we received notice that the Legion [actually - the Syrians] had captured Tsemah. Many of ours were killed. There's panic of sorts in the Jordan Valley.
Yosef T. [Tabenkin], who came here with Harel [men] reports that we found 40,000 military uniforms, 20,000 shoes, 450 rifles (without grips - grips are being installed) in the Generali Building in Jerusalem. All our boys in Jerusalem are already wearing these uniforms.
- I went to Jaffa. The city is nearly empty. Here and there an Arab in a tarbush. The port is empty, but the warehouses are full. I haven't been in Jaffa since before the riots - and I saw how much effort the English have invested in building up the Jaffa port.
I couldn't understand: How could Jaffa's residents leave this city?
On the way back I met a guard of IZL men. I received "the salute." Maybe it's a coincidence - but all the members of the guard have underworld faces.
- The late afternoon bombardment devastated Tel Aviv near the bus station: dozens killed, more than a hundred injured.
- At seven [Aryeh] Bahir phoned me from Haifa. He'd left Yavne'el at three. Golani [Moshe Mann, Golani Brigade commander] believes the situation in the Jordan Valley is bad. There are 10 Sherman [tanks] and twenty or thirty armored [vehicles] operating around Tsemah (near Degania, Sha'ar HaGolan, [Kibbutz] Massada). They've surrounded Ashdot[-Ya'akov], shelling the farms with artillery. Forces [actually - Iraqis] are concentrating south of Gesher. There are 20 vehicles near Gesher. The English are in command. The Iraqis and Syrians are providing aerial assistance. They fired at Yavne'el from the air using [aerial] machine [gun]s. Artillery shells are landing on the Yavne'el road. Transit between Yavne'el and Tiberias, between [the Upper Galilee] and Yavne'el has stopped. Much help is needed. A Palmach company arrived from the Upper Galilee, but it's not enough. The children are still on the farms.
Bahir asked Carmeli [M. Carmel] for help - but he won't give it without orders from Tel Aviv. Golani is demanding equipment, English and Arab ammunition [for Arab weapons that will be seized], 3" mortars with shells, an armored vehicle, PIATs, two tons of explosives, [hand-held] sirens, Molotov cocktails. Degania had losses - all those who charged with Molotov cocktails [at the armored enemy] were slaughtered.
Hyman [Shamir] came. Arrived yesterday on a C-46, two weeks en route. There were great [procurement] possibilities in America - the embargo got in the way. Mexico apparently has many possibilities, thanks to "great" people, but only for a sum [of] no less than $1 million.
Al Schwimmer - highly capable, aeronautical engineer - got to work. Need to get dual-engine bombers ("Mitchell"), single-engine fighter planes, equipment for artillery and heavy machine [gun]s. [They] asked for a million from Shaul [Avigur] and Alon [Yehuda Arazi]. Received a negative answer.