יומנים > יומן - מלא 30/10/1948

Saturday, October 30, 1948 - Beersheva [Ben-Gurion's Emphasis]

Yesterday we took Sa'sa' and Tarshiha.

       I left for Beersheva at 8:15. I found all the Mapam leaders. Yigal [Allon]: The [Egyptian] Brigade that left Majdal is heading to Rafiah. They're entrenching themselves for defense in Gaza. Between ''Auja and Bir ''Isluj they have one-two battalions. In the Hebron Hills there are another 2-3 irregular companies. In the Faluja "pocket" there's a brigade (3 battalions). Yesterday the division commander in Rafiah asked Faluja whether they can break through to Qubayba (Lakhish). We didn't hear the answer. Yigal believes we should take Dhahiriya. The "pocket" men are complaining about lack of fuel and food and ammunition and many wounded. The Sudanese are grumbling and want to leave the strongholds. Today we're trying to speak with the Sudanese in Iraq-Manshiyya.

       Battalion 7 [the Negev Brigade] and the Raid Battalion [Battalion 9] are in Beersheva. Its vehicle[s] broke down. It still has 10 good jeeps, it had 24, 2 half-tracks (it had six), 3 armored vehicles (it had 9). The broken ones are being repaired in Beersheva. Battalion 8, numbering 250 men, is being organized now. 2 Yiftah battalions are in the wedge in Beit Hanoun. A battalion from Yiftah is in Be'er Ya'akov (just one company). On the Eastern front [east of the Faluja "pocket"] - the 8th Brigade's Raid Battalion [Battalion 89], one Givati battalion [Battalion 54], and two armored companies, two platoons from the Pleshet [Philistia] District (from Beit Jubrin) Dawayima, Qubayba (Lakhish). In the west (from stronghold 113 to Gvar'am, at a distance of 2 km from the Gaza - Majdal road) - 3 Givati battalions. From Hamama [north of Majdal] to Julis - garrison (1½ companies), Kudna - ''Ajjur [northeast of Gal On] - garrison. Garrison is also holding the Beit ''Affa, Karatiyya, and Hatta stronghold[s].

       The Negev District garrison is holding the Bror Hayil, Tel Quneitra [south of Faluja], and Khirbet Mahaz strongholds. The district (garrison) is holding Bir ''Isluj, Bet Eshel, and Nevatim.

       The Negev Brigade is holding Beersheva and the surrounding strongholds.

       Yigal is certain that there's no danger of an Egyptian offensive against Beersheva or anywhere else.

       Police stations can be set up in Kurnub and Ras Zuweira [Rosh Zohar] and Tel al-Malah [near Arad today]. Yigal thinks [that] each location requires two platoons. Another garrison battalion is needed for this purpose - right now [we] don't have it. If we get rid of the [Faluja] "pocket" - men will be freed up. Each police station will require 6 jeeps, 2 armored vehicles, 2-3 pickup trucks with frontal [front-wheel] drive.

       The [eastern water] pipeline is cut off at a distance of 12 km from Beersheva - from Mishmar HaNegev. Bedouins can be employed [in repairing it]. The army, in Yigal's view, won't work. [They're] tied up in the strongholds. A few sheikhs from [i.e., Bedouins near] Shoval and Tkuma (from the Tiyaha [tribe]) want a pact and to return to their homes: they're prepared to recruit their own people for the work, to turn over the weapons, and to submit to Jewish rule. They number about 3,000 people. Currently they're in the vicinity of Dhahiriya.

       In Yigal's opinion, [those] in the "pocket" won't hold on for more than two weeks.

       At two I left Beersheva. We visited Hatzerim - it's amazing how these settlements [of the 11 settlements established at the end of Yom Kippur, 1946] have survived, and almost unscathed. The young men are encouraging, demanding water (by pipeline), a cool building, a budget for the settlement. How much land do you have? Right now - unbounded…

       On the way back we stopped at Yigal [Allon]'s staff [headquarters, in Gedera]. There [we] received encouraging news from the Galilee. Yitzhak [Rabin] reported on seven Egyptian Spitfires that flew low over Faluja - apparently dropping food or equipment for them.

       When I returned to Tel Aviv, I was greeted by the news that our work in the Galilee has effectively been completed. A Syrian battalion that was sent to assist Qawuqji was destroyed, the army and the villagers fled. The villagers of Lebanon are surrendering. We had (as far as we know) 12 killed. The number of wounded is unknown.

       The villages of Yaroun [west of Yir'on today] and ''Ain Ebel in Lebanon are offering to surrender. Qawuqji fled to Lebanon.

       At 10 p.m. [Yisrael] Ber returned from the Galilee. The villages in the central Galilee didn't maintain a fighting spirit. One of Qawuqji's units surrendered itself and its weapons, ammunition, its vehicle[s] and its equipment. It's not clear yet whether Malkiyya is in our hands, but there's no cause for concern - it will fall into our hands.

       Now - once we more or less know the reaction in the world - (this requires 2-3 days) [we] need to start on the Triangle: pressure on Jenin, Tubas, and Tulkarm. If we reach Nablus - Ramallah will fall anyway. I asked Reuven [Shiloah] to telegraph [Abba] Eban about what is happening and to ask him for an assessment of the situation in Paris.