יומנים > יומן - מלא 30/03/1948

March 30, 1948 I sat with Abba [Khoushy] and Krelenboim [Yosef Almogi] this morning. The Arabs are asking (via [George] Hakim, the Christian [cleric]) for a cease-fire that would apply to the area of Zikhron [Yaakov]-Acre. The situation in the city is steadily worsening. Admittedly, lots of Arabs are leaving-including some of the masses, due to a double fear-of the Jews and of the Arabs. They're going to Lebanon, mainly women and children but also members of gangs. Jews are leaving the Lower City-because it isn't safe enough. The only thing that's been mobilized is a garrison force by order of the town major. The whole Field Corps is at the command of the brigade commander and is being used to defend the settlements [in the district]. At least 200 men for the Lower City are needed. They'll be housed in the German Colony (As for the need to mobilize in Haifa at all, see last night's meeting of the Committee of Five). The Government's departments are falling apart. The Public Works Department turned over its property (what remains of it) to the Municipality. Half of its property has been stolen by Jews and Arabs: tires, tools. Some of the property was moved to Hadar Hacarmel. A year ago, the Government ordered a million and a half P£ worth of equipment for the posts. The gangs stole some of it (a thousand telephones). The rest is kept near the Vulcan [factory] at [Haifa] Bay: cables, telephones, instruments. The telephone center in Haifa is also a center for Syria and Lebanon. The telephone center [workforce] is 2/3 Arabs, 1/3 Jews. There are 350 workers at the posts; 200 of them are Arabs. The senior staff: Jews. Jews may be hired for the posts-but without the Government paying [their wages]. The main thing is to increase our strength at the telephone center and the switchboard. There's no one charge at the posts. The British manager isn't coming to work. The Customs Administration (the Government's main [source of] revenue) is in Haifa, some at the port and some on Rehov ha-Har (on the way from the German Colony to Hadar Hacarmel). The bureaucrats at City Hall are half Jews and half Arabs. David [Hacohen-on a mission to the U.S.] is absent. Shabbetai Levi [the Mayor] is old (72). ---- [illegible] can't be relied on. [George] Hakim advised the chairman of the Municipality that the Pope wants to mediate between the Jews and the Arabs in Eretz[-Israel]. There are some two hundred army camps for sale around Haifa. The camps at Khayat Beach and Tira control the entrance to Haifa. A large camp near Bat Galim: also on JNF land in Kurdani-a large weapons-repair workshop. The Government proposed that the Municipality buy the German Colony for P£ 1.2 million, 180 houses, 800 dunams [80 hectares] of land. Granovski [Granot] implied that JNF isn't interested. The settled land [around the port] was handed over the Municipality (only 10 parcels were sold). Two weeks ago, two Druze from the Jebel [Jebel a-Duruz] came to Rosh Pinna. They have mobilized a 300[-member] Druze gang. The head of the gang, the son of Assad Bek al-Kanj (another son is a delegate to the Syrian parliament), met with Joseph Fein. [He] asked whether [they] should disperse or come to Eretz[-Israel] and establish relations with Jews. Abba [Khoushy] advised [them] to come (!?) on the assumption that if they disperse-another gang will come, and also because they can be used to our advantage. They are now waiting for an answer (that is, for payment). The commander of the gang gets P£ 50 per month; a member of the gang gets P£ 10-14 per month. The following are participating at the civilian headquarters: Yosef Krelenboim [Almogi], Ya'akov Khoushy, Yehoshua Wilenski [Mapai], Yehoshua Wiscena [sp?] (Mapam), Yehuda Carmi (Yamin), Dr. Felixbrod ("General Zionists"), David Lifschitz (manager of the refrigeration storerooms), [Arye] Loewenstein (agent of Ford Motor Company), Seidmann (Hapo'el Hamizrachi). - Yigael [Yadin] informed me that 27 trucks (from Upper Galilee, the Negev, Rehovot) were gathered together yesterday. Communication in Kiryat ''Anavim and Ma'ale Hamisha broke down, and therefore 230 armed men who were supposed to head for the mountains [to secure the convoy to Jerusalem] remained in Hulda. 100 men are already in the mountains. Apart from those in Hulda, another 200 men will be sent tomorrow or the day after. In my opinion, more should be sent because the enemy will mass his forces and set them against our transport to Jerusalem and we have to gird for a decisive battle at this stage. - A delegation from the National Committee visited me: Grabovsky [Meir Argov], D.Z. Pinkas, and Berl Repetur. The minutes were taken separately [not found]. - There was another eruption at the Defense Committee. [Yosef] Sapir: He renounces all responsibility for defense. Who gave him this responsibility? Unfortunately, I had to leave the meeting before it was over. - In the evening: a talk with Golda [Meir] and Kaplan.