יומנים > יומן - מלא 26/12/1947

[Friday,] December 26, 1947

Kolodny [Moshe Kol, head of Aliyat HaNo'ar (immigrant youth programs)] raises the question of Ben Shemen [youth village]. Half the members there are children - aged 6 to 12, about two hundred. Should they be kept at the village? There's no armored vehicle to transport anyone seriously ill to Tel Aviv. There's also the question of Aliyat HaNo'ar in settlements that [remained] outside the state.

       - Yohanan [Ratner]: Engineers for the fortifications have been selected. Aharonov met with Yigael [Yadin], Fritz [Eshet], and Yohanan [Ratner]. There are additional engineers who will help. In Holon there were victims resulting from lack of suitable fortifications - although the Arabs are actually well fortified.

       Vilenchuk hasn't yet returned [from the Dead Sea potash company]. Yosef Rochel [Avidar] believes that Vilenchuk is only intent on chemical production. This is not right. He must ensure all the productions that Shevah [Slavin] is not focused on. [He's] ready to produce smoke-boxes [smoke grenades]. On January 15 there will be 6,000 teargases ready. Preparations were made for the production of caps, but Yosef Rochel stopped it, because they're waiting for a shipment from abroad (?!): Regarding personal (anti-personnel) mines, Yosef Rochel claims this still needs to be examined, and its production belongs to Shevah (although Y.R. is certain that Shevah won't do this because he doesn't like Jenka [Ratner]) (?!).

       Regarding PIATs: The barrel is easy to make following an English model. Jenka Ratner has made the shells but is not yet sure whether they'll work - because a large number has to be tried, only then do we know. Assembling the lathes will cost some hundreds of liras [P£]. Yohanan instructed Shlomo Gur to provide the necessary money, and the barrels need to be ordered immediately from Shevah (Yohanan proposes a meeting of Yohanan, Yosef [Avidar], Shevah [Slavin], Ya'akov [Dori], and Vilenchuk in order to formulate the production plan). Every Thursday there's a meeting at Yohanan's: Yigael, Fritz, Ben-Artzi - and as needed Aharonov or Boganov [Barnea], to formulate an anti-invasion plan. Yohanan will be responsible for strategic fortifications.

       - At 9:30 Ezra [Danin]. He doesn't accept Sasson's opinion. How will the Arab force grow? By increasing weapons, training, reinforcing the authority of leaders, help from the League. Maybe [roughly] 1,000-1,500 Arabs left the country for training at [Camp] Qatana [in Syria]. The training, according to Arabs, is bad. Desertion from Qatana is high. They receive 40 Syrian liras per month - this is not enough for cigarettes and extras. The clothing is bad. There's no willingness among the Arabs to be killed for the greater good. The gunmen - fire from safe zones. They're not prepared to risk their lives. The neighbors of those killed say: "Donkey [fool]. Why'd he go?"

       - Our escort convoys (young men and women) are making a huge impression on the people of Yazur.

       What's the impression regarding the riots so far? - That the Jews have not yet responded. They're convinced that the English support us. The impression is that our economic situation is stronger than they'd thought, and their situation is worse than they'd hoped.

       The help we're receiving is great, and the assistance they're receiving is less than promised. The price of weapons has increased (this proves they're eager to arm themselves!), and this demonstrates that there are no stockpiled arms. The price of a rifle is 80-100 liras, a bullet 3-8 grush. Many of the bullets in Salameh [in the attack on Shkhunat HaTikva] were "duds" and this broke their spirit. Ahmed Shik'a [sp.] (a millionaire from Nablus) provided P£ 2,000 for the purchase of 400 rifles in Ramle. They paid an officer P£ 4 for a rifle (this is what they say!). The weapons were delayed in Ramle - and the residents of Ramle stole the weapons. The people of Nablus are demanding them.

       What's the extent of public order? - Many refugees arrived in Tulkarm. Rent increased, flour rose to 4 times the official price. [The loot from] robbing trains was taken by the people themselves - although it was done on behalf of the National Committee. Wealthy families are fleeing to Egypt. They're not safe in Syria.

       Won't the poverty increase the Arabs' belligerency? - [Ezra Danin] doesn't believe so.

       The [Arab] countryside did not become involved. Will it? - This is an important question. Extortion by gangs that are not nationally authorized is starting to take place. Dr. Haikal from Jaffa requested policeman from Taibe - he didn't trust the city's locals. In the city there's fear of hunger. The flight is continuing. They fear that the English are fomenting conflict and will ultimately side with the Jews.

       Arab governments? - He saw a Syrian-Czech contract for weapons. It seems to Ezra that these are weapons for a [Syrian] gendarmerie. When they receive the new weapons they might give their old weapons to Eretz-Israelis [local Arabs] - a lot of these weapons are "duds." Foreign volunteers, such as English, will come. Indeed, they'll try to work instead of Arabs. Gangs will harass, but it's not really an occupying army. As long as foreign states cannot send an army - there's no need to fear volunteers. [The Arabs] are afraid of Russian intervention.

       What's expected after the withdrawal (May 15)?

       We'll come to the Negev. We'll concentrate the Bedouins in one region or disarm them of their weapons. The gendarmerie will entrench itself. Arab Jaffa and Haifa - if they misbehave - will be besieged. The Sharon region is protected. The Valley - without Arab cannons - is secure. Gangs will harass - no more than that.

       However, will the Mufti's influence continue or Abdallah's influence increase? - Without the English our situation will improve, [because] what will they do with the Eretz-Israeli currency after England leaves? (What will we do?).

       If the Haganah operates as its operating, and we don't fan the flames, then there's no cause for concern regarding the Huleh. The areas that are quiet - will presumably calm down, if we minimize provocations and don't waste our forces on attacks. For this reason he opposes Sasson's proposals.

       Are there chances of a peace agreement with the villagers and Bedouins? - Right now they're afraid, but if we prove that we're not bloodthirsty, and that the Ben-Gurion plan is serious - the attitude will change. Sudqi Tabari from Tiberias called on the people of Degania to [enter] a non-attack agreement. It's possible to do this in many places. In the refineries they're working together, the traffic in Balad al-Sheikh is passing through, and it's possible there'll also be an agreement in Haifa. A strike [by us] against cargo transport rather than passenger transport proves that we're not bloodthirsty. Booby-traps for criminals are good, but shedding innocent blood is not. Need to look for the Arabs' economic weak points. Ezra wants to participate in this search. Need to try to arrange Arab "peace gangs" (approach Abdal Rahman al-''Azi [sp.] from the Hebron District; he was selling lands to Jews).

       - Yisrael Yeshayahu demands that [we] seek a different point of departure for the Jews of Yemen - because they won't go to Aden. On the contrary, they'll return from Aden to Yemen. I spoke with [Yosef] Barpal and he promised to send someone to the Red Sea district.

       - [Eliyahu] Elyashar: After the conversation [regarding the condition of Jews in Arab countries; see entry for December 12, 1947] he consulted with friends in Jerusalem. It was proposed that Elyashar travel to Paris to consult with French Jews on the status of North Africa's Jews. From there [he will] travel to London to speak with [Lord Herbert] Samuel and the "Board" [Board of Deputies of British Jews, the main Jewish communal organization in the UK].

       - [Haim] Ariav told me that an order has already been issued to start on the two roads - the mesh [road] to Bat Yam and the Moledet road. Next week the Mobilization Fund will decide on its participation.

       - Dr. Meir [of the emergency medical committee] requests P£ 30,000. He finally promised to send me a "menu" of his needs for Hadassah.

            - Dr. Strauss is afraid the Syrians will poison the Jordan springs