יומנים > יומן - מלא 20/12/1948

Monday, December 20, 1948

Josh [Palmon] - our strongholds on the Lebanon [border] are for the prevention of incursion, but not infiltration. The Arabs along the border are bringing refugees from Lebanon into the country, [and these refugees] are returning to semi-abandoned villages. The army cannot prevent this. Josh, with Yigael [Yadin]'s consent, proposes an irregular (non-Muslim) Arab army to serve as a barrier and prevent passage.

       Why would they trust us? - Josh thinks that these people have always been loyal. They weren't able to go to Lebanon because they're traitors. They'd also be allowed to rob the infiltrators. 3 groups of seven men along the border will suffice (?!). They smuggle experts, who know all the paths.

       Second problem - the military government. It has no contact with Arabs. The governor has no mukhtar to lean on. The identity of the inhabitants hasn't been determined. There are no means of inspection, no checkpoints. There are military governors in Acre in Nazareth, deputy governors in Tarshiha, Peki'in, Kafr Yasif, Rama, Majdal Krum. There are complaints about lack of transportation. The soldiers in the governors' staff aren't the best, because the good ones are not being released (what are the officers doing?). The government ministries (minorities, agriculture, labor) do everything without the military government. The situation is especially severe in Nazareth.

       ID cards are granted by I.S. [the intelligence service] to people whom the service needs. In the Central Galilee, ID cards are issued by the governors, I.S., and others. There's no "line" [policy] on the matter.

       I suggested that the defense and foreign ministries arrange a census, issue ID cards. Any other ID card will be void. After that just one authority will be selected to issue ID card. It's necessary to strengthen Avner's staff (the members of his staff are [Shmuel] Barkai, Nissan Einstaub [sp.], and others); [they] won't do.

       - Arthur [Asher Ben-Natan]: An intelligence network has been established in five countries, mainly France and Italy (the center is in France) - and also Holland, North Africa, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Australia. [They gather information on] Arab property, Arab activities generally, economic relations between Arab states and Europe, the foreign policy of France and Italy and Belgium and Britain regarding the Near East, the Vatican, assessing the Gentiles' knowledge of the Near East. They receive material of the French and Italian I.S. [intelligence services] - so far they've spent P£ 3,000 per month, [there are] about 15 Eretz-Israelis, aside from the technical staff. There are volunteer agents.

       Is there a trend of animosity towards Israel in France?

       There is, resulting from the influence of religion and the Vatican; everyone wants the internationalization of Jerusalem with the French flag inside it. Of the 5 major [countries] - France is the only Catholic one. From Jerusalem, France's influence would spread to the east. The theft in church buildings also had an adverse impact. The French are concerned about our relationship with Abdallah and our "pro-Britainness." They're angry that [Abba] Eban spoke only English [at the UN] - given that he knows French well.

       - [Emmanuel] Markovsky [Mor] was appointed representative of the military government in the Galilee, based in Nazareth. I gave him two instructions: 1) to prevent Arab infiltration into the Galilee; 2) to prevent the Communists from dominating among the Arabs - even with the government's help.

       - Ya'akov [Dori]: He consulted with Hoter[-Yishai], who also thinks that Isser [Be'eri] should not be tried for murder but for exceeding his authority.

       Regarding the restructuring, for now Ya'akov wants to maintain four fronts. Infantry will be organized into 14 brigades, all armored vehicles will be removed, and each front will have an armored battalion. A battalion of tanks will serve at the command of the National Headquarters. Proposed commanders for the battalions [should be: brigades]: Br. 1 - Zvi Hurwitz (currently N. Spiegel [Nahum Golan], will go to the Training Bureau). 2 - M. Makleff ([instead of] Zvi Herman, to Operations Department North). 3 - Bentz Friedan [Ziv] [sp.]. 4) M. [Michael] Ben-Gal, 5 - [Yitzhak] Pundak ([Shimon] Avidan - to Operations Department). 6 - Moshe Dayan. 7 - Binyamin Ben-David [Dunkelman]. 8 - Yitzhak Sadeh? Shaul Yaffe [sp.]? 9 - Yaacov Prulov [Peri] - (Pundak to Brigade 5). 10 - (Harel) - Yosef Tabenkin. 11 - (Yiftah) Shmuel [Mula] Cohen (or Asaf Simhoni, S. Cohen to 12). 12 - Mishal Schechter [Shacham] or S. Cohen ([currently] Nahum Sarig). 13 - Emanuel Nishri (currently Philistia [HaShfela District]). 14 - Binyamin Tzur (currently Tichon District).

       Need someone for the military police - the proposals are [Yitzhak] Pundak, Senia [Shimon] Sirkin, Ya'akov Lubliner [Lublini] [sp.], [Elimelech] Avner, Shmuel Barkai.

       - All the recruitment center personnel came to see me: [Dr. Binyamin] Avniel thinks that a connection with the public should be maintained. I informed them that a recruitment center does not accord with statehood, just as the Haganah was replaced by the army. [Yosef] Yizraeli suggests that the many volunteers who evaluate appeals should remain.

       - In the afternoon government meeting.

       - In the evening Aharon [Katzir], who returned from Switzerland, came to see me. Renana [Ben-Gurion's daughter] has found a placement with Prof. Mauser [sp.], who was an expert in sanitation with UN observers, [and] tasked with investigating whether Jews had spread epidemics among Arab refugees. He investigated and concluded [that they did] not. His report was not published.

       [Katzir] met with Stettbacher [sp.], an international ballistics expert, Swiss, Gentile. He's prepared to work with us and do two things for us: 1) manufacturing of explosive materials, 2) ballistics laboratories (testing weapons: what happens at the moment of firing, etc.). He contacted factories in Switzerland, France, and Italy in order to establish the above [facilities] here. He wants his government not to object to this. It's necessary for our government to approach him (not [to approach] his government, because it doesn't recognize us), and he will approach his government by letter. Establishing a ballistics laboratory will require 300,000 Swiss francs (P£ 30,000).

       In France Aharon met with the builder of the atomic furnace [reactor] - an Eretz-Israeli "tzabar" [native], [Moshe Maurice] Surdin, an expert in electronics. And especially in radar. France is building a radar to detect airplanes at a distance of 150 km. He can build such a radar for us (it will cost P£ 15,000). There's radar that attaches to a cannon and directs the shell towards the airplane - such a radar costs P£ 25,000. This radar detects an airplane at a distance of 30 km; its precision is 20 m within range of the airplane - such that even if it doesn't strike the plane, its blast is enough to down the plane.

       French firms are prepared to establish weapons industries in the country (Hotchkiss is one such firm). The contact is Blumenfeld (he has many things going on in France). Aharon proposes appointing a committee that will maintain contact with Blumenfeld and relay what we need (Hillel Cohen, a scientist, [and] a military industry person [for the committee]).

       Jewish scientists - irrespective, even converts [from Judaism] - are prepared to work for us. A contact person and budget and apparatus [logistical staff] are needed. Young Jews attending university abroad also want to work for Israel, and Aharon proposes establishing a center here for Jewish science abroad - its role would be to transmit our problems abroad and maintain personal contact with those handling these problems.

       - [Shmuel] Mikunis came to see me. He wants A) to release the [Arab] communists from the POW camps (they number about 75). B) freedom of movement for 20 people in the Galilee for elections. He also requests authorization for a car for staff members of Ittihad newspaper. Complains about Haifa Arabs being sent to Lebanon after the "combing."

       - Shaul [Avigur] came to see me. Six "Spits" [Spitfire planes] departed from Czechoslovakia. The weather [was] bad, 4 returned, 2 crashed. One disappeared altogether; the second was found burnt and the pilot injured. When the weather improved, 6 departed again and reached Yugoslavia. Two ships are en route - with 8 Shermans and 800 tons TNT and more spare parts. A ship arrived with shells for the cannons that arrived last week. Being unloaded tonight.

       - At 10 p.m. Mrs. [Anne O'Hare] McCormick [of the New York Times] came to see me. She'd met with Abdallah this morning. He wants peace - and apparently the English also want this, but he's concerned about the Arabs and the Arab states, and he wants to try bringing everyone to peace talks first. The reason for wanting peace: he's the only one who will profit from peace - his kingdom will grow. The other states won't profit at all.

       She asked me many questions: our desire for peace, ''aliya possibilities, our approach to refugees, the new system of government, communism, socialism, neutrality, and so on. The conversation lasted about an hour and a half. Moshe Pearlman accompanied her.

       I told her what Mikunis had told me in the evening: He isn't certain that they'll come out of the elections very strong - because they were disappointed by the American elections [for president]. They were certain that [Henry] Wallace would receive 5-10 million. Communists - Mikunis added - are not immigrating to the country. Those who come here are bogus communists - only as long as they're in eastern countries….

       - In the morning a new mufti was appointed in Jerusalem.