יומנים > יומן - מלא 18/08/1948
Wednesday, August 18, 1948
A delegation from Negba. They're worse off than garrison and Hayish. They demand that a number of conscripted members be released in order to help out at the settlement. They demand arrangements for the children and women who have no one caring for them. They also raise the question of fortifications.
- At ten a meeting of the Arab Affairs Committee: [Bechor] Sheetrit, Moshe [Sharett], [Ya'akov] Shimoni, Ezra [Danin], [Gad] Meknes, [Yosef] Stroumsa, Lifshitz [Zalman Leef], David Hacohen, [Reuven] Shiloah, [Yosef] Weitz, and others: To bring back the Arabs or not. [We] need to assemble material [information] regarding the prevalence of refugees, registration of their property, who might return, whether they should be returned to their previous location or elsewhere, possibilities for settlement in Arab states - where, reparations for refugees, assistance in their resettlement in other countries, whether it's possible to exchange Arabs for Jews [in a reciprocal transfer between states].
Lifshitz thinks we should hold onto the strongholds - contiguous territories, water sources, and that the plots of land should be categorized and we should determine which plots will not be returned no matter what.
I suggested discussing three quandaries:
A) Property, especially land. Its registration, classification, cultivation, expropriation, preservation, etc.
B) The refugees - how and in what way can we help them settle in Arab lands, where, by what means, etc.
C) Whether and under what circumstances and when and whom will we bring back to the country?
David Hacohen: Property has to be evaluated realistically, and for now the transfer of property should be prevented, so that only one body does the purchasing - and cheaply. Land price should be based on previous practice [before land speculation began], not a thousand pounds per dunam near Tel Aviv but rather 2-3 pounds. The land should be cultivated immediately.
Dolik [David Horowitz] appeals [regarding] the need to immediately cultivate all the lands. ''Aliya of 10-20 thousand a month requires food in amounts that we won't be able to import; we must ensure self-sufficiency. Given that there's a shortage of working hands, mechanization is needed (although this too requires buying machines abroad). He assesses the value of Arab real estate properties (including in the occupied territories) at P£ 100 million - based on low market values. This necessitates buying these properties now at fixed prices. American Jews can buy Arab properties in the country. American Jews have an income of $ 11 billion per year.
[Bechor] Sheetrit - assesses the abandoned Arab territory at 1,000,000 dunams. The law proposed by David [Hacohen] is not feasible from an international perspective. The property is held by the Finance [Ministry], which is authorized to rent it out or lease it long-term. He proposes a long-term lease to one entity - KKL [Keren Kayement LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund] in the countryside, and Hachsharat HaYishuv [the Palestine (later Israel) Land Development Company] in the city. The Arab properties include Muslim religious sites - by law they can be exchanged for Jewish lands in Iraq and Egypt; there are tens of thousands of Waqf dunams in the State of Israel. Many Arabs don't want to return to the country, and their plots of land should be bought immediately.
[Eliezer] Kaplan - Efforts are being made to cultivate a maximum amount of land - cultivation for crops with and without irrigation, and they're examining the cultivation of orchards. It's hard to find manpower, and the workers have no guarantee that they'll enjoy the fruit of their labor. The Finance [Ministry] is operating as a trustee, and is therefore opposed to the destruction of property - orchards, factories, and villages.
[Gad] Meknes - KKL should be tasked with identifying the plots of land in the countryside and in the city, what is worth cultivating, how many houses there are in the city, if they're suitable for residence, etc. The Middle East Department in the Foreign Ministry will examine the refugee situation. Every plot of land should be cultivated - aside from orchards. A cultivated orchard creates temptation to return to the country. The water should be exploited to grow vegetables.
[Yosef] Weitz: To date 286 villages have been evacuated, 179 of them within the UN boundaries [the state's territory as delineated by the UN Partition resolution]. The area is 3 million, within the UN [boundaries] 1,800,000 dunams. Within these villages the Jews have 400,000 dunams, within the [UN] boundaries 320,000 dunams (all this does not include the Negev). According to the [Mandatory] government, 860,000 dunams of this territory is not cultivable (about half a million dunams within the UN[-delineated] state); the Arabs' cultivable territory is 1¾ million dunams (within the state - about a million).
Urban land is 181,000 dunams (including Jerusalem and Haifa), 30,000 of which is for the Jews.
Only 1¼ million dunams of the above lands can be cultivated. This requires 400 tractors. A tractor ploughs 3,000 dunams.
And as to cultivating the land: if we don't want Arabs to return, and require only food - then only the area necessary for food should be cultivated - 100,000 dunams, of the best land, and the rest should be leased long-term and what can be bought should be bought. Only about 300 or 400 thousand dunams belong to the effendis (Lifshitz thinks - only a quarter of a million dunams). A plan should be prepared for the settlement of Arabs in neighboring countries; henceforth a body should be set up to address this problem, not a government body.
David [Hacohen] - The Arabs fled because they have states, and they're unsure of their safety here. If they return - they'll flee again. Only the government can handle the resettlement of Arabs in other countries, not a private body.
Lifshitz [Zalman Leef] - Need to determine all the territories that are in fact state property - and these should be settled immediately. For handling the Arabs it's desirable to have a non-governmental body, but it should be granted a great deal of authority.
[Bechor] Sheetrit - Those who used to be the Egyptians, Lebanese, etc. - don't need to return. An effort should be made to exchange Arab Jews [Jews from Arab countries] for "Israeli" Arabs. Lands that were held by Arabs and not registered in the Tabu [land registry office] - should be turned over to the government.
[Ya'akov] Shimoni - objects to talking about transfer. The Jews of Arab countries should not be linked with the return of refugees.
Moshe [Sharett] - The Arabs who remained in the state, and not in their own places - should be returned to their own places, unless there are reasons for not returning them.
Dolik [Horowitz] - The difference between property prices in our country and in Arab countries could be a motive for an arrangement abroad for Arabs - without coercion. It's unfortunate that the local command did not listen to the policy from above [regarding the population].
Ezra [Danin] - Need to identify all the Arabs present in the country, otherwise there will be "massive infiltration," especially during the rainy season.
[Yosef] Weitz - Let's not lay down the law before examining the situation and knowing what it is and drawing conclusions properly.
[Zalman] Lifshitz - The Arabs will have the burden of proving that the property they claim - is theirs.
Decisions were not reached.
- At 12:15 - [General] Staff meeting: Brigade Het [the 8th Brigade] has an armored battalion (tanks) and an attack battalion. It should also have an infantry battalion. Yitzhak [Sadeh] demands 2 infantry battalions, and a mortars unit. There's a question of whether the brigade itself will train signal, drivers, etc. - or whether there will be a central school [for the armored corps]. Shlomo [Shamir] suggests that each brigade have a unit for reconnaissance, a unit for auxiliary support. There's also an inclination towards establishing an attack battalion in each brigade.
The question of whether to transfer the General Headquarters base (420 men). It's crowded on the hill [present location], need to expropriate another 10 buildings. There's a problem with telephones. It's impossible to get a telephone at the headquarters. Need an internal telephone line.
The enemy is in a state of readiness. Reinforcement is being sent to the Iraqis, instead of 5 there are 8 battalions. There's a lot of activity on the Iraqi radio. The Egyptian radio is giving orders to be ready all day long. There's activity among the irregular forces of the Mufti and Qawuqji. There's activity in Beit Jala, around Beit Nabala, and in the north. In Deir Balut [east of Rosh Ha'Ayin] about a thousand men - the Mufti's men - are assembling.
Moshe [Dayan] of the Etsiyyoni Brigade had 25 who were killed and many wounded in a clash near Havat HaLimud [girls' agricultural school] two days ago. We now have about 100 men at Havat HaLimud [near Talpiot]. The Arab College is also in our hands. Yigael [Yadin] telegraphed Moshe that we're not interested in seeing the situation in Jerusalem escalate. There's mutual agitation, and it's possible that the Arabs fear we'll attack them. The units are maintaining a minimum of force, a majority are on leave and in training. The question is whether to demand a state of readiness. In Givati and Kiriati about 20% are on leave, in Carmeli more, in others less.
- In the afternoon [Jewish Agency] Executive meeting.
- In the evening government meeting.
- Before midnight a farewell for Golda [before leaving for Moscow as Israeli ambassador].