יומנים > יומן - מלא 16/02/1948
Monday, February 16, 1948
[Eliahu] Sasson: We're not interested in spurring the "invaders" [from the Arab Liberation Army] into action. They're traveling around in jeeps and spending money, and also preventing new trainings [the training of new recruits] because [the Arabs] trust them. But if they're beaten - additional forces will be sent. In particular [the Arabs] trust the forces of the [Transjordanian] "king" - and are not taking action for now. This force of the king's won't take action before the English withdrawal. If a lot of forces enter in the meantime - they won't need Abdallah. And if in the meantime our forces and the invaders' forces get tired - Abdallah's force will be fresh [and ready] for the job.
When I pointed out that there's a contradiction in his reasoning, he said that there's no contradiction. After four months of activity, the League has only sent 3,000-4,000 men, not all of them trained. They finish their training here. If we provoke them now - they'll have to add reserves and announce new recruitment campaigns. Until a week ago they were drafting anyone and everyone. Two days ago Syria issued an official announcement saying that new recruits need to bring a medical certificate stating that they have no family (no parents, no wives, and no children) and that they have no debts. The reason - supporting the families poses a heavy burden.
Lack of action on our part will keep the [Arab] governments calm and they won't send men.
Why is he sure that if we keep calm and quiet, they won't keep sending gangs every day - and one day strike a fierce blow against us? - Sasson answered: A soldier who isn't fighting costs them a lot of money. When he's fighting - he doesn't. Earlier there weren't any foreigners in Jerusalem, and after we struck - they brought foreigners into Jerusalem. The foreigners bring prosperity to the Arabs (on the contrary, this is an argument against maintaining quiet).
I asked Sasson: Let's assume you do everything you want. How do you see things ending up? - He answered: They have about four thousand men, traveling around the country. They've divided the regions among themselves. When the English withdraw they'll launch an attack - we'll prepare for that day and deliver them a blow. Then they'll need another four months to get ready.
Indeed? [I asked].
He said: It's possible that then they'll send their army.
On Friday a conversation between the Transjordanian envoy to Egypt and the king was intercepted: The envoy said that there are 800 Saudis in Jouf [Saudi Arabia], not far from ''Aqaba [who are meant] to go to the Negev. The envoy raised the question at the League, and the Iraqi commander, Ismail Safwat [Arab Liberation Army commander, based in Damascus] assured him that they won't go through Transjordan, but rather through the sea and Umm Rashrash [Eilat], or Sinai and from there to the Negev. They deliberately chose Saudis because of their similarity to the Negev Bedouin and their special desert-warfighting skills.
As for England, Syria, and Abdallah, Sasson thinks we shouldn't presume that England or Syria or Abdallah have already made a final decision. There are all sorts of efforts - an alliance with each state, an alliance with the entire League, a declaration rather than an alliance, and nothing has been concluded yet, and everyone is examining and inspecting all sorts of possibilities.
According to the report from the Egyptian legation in Washington to Cairo - if the Cairo-based magazine Al-Musawar is reliable - America is advising England to sign a regional treaty with the [Arab] League and thereby do away with separate treaties with Egypt, Iraq, etc. In Sasson's view this includes Eretz Israel [Palestine] as an Arab state (?), although it wasn't mentioned at all in the report (in my view Sasson has no basis for this interpretation regarding Eretz Israel). Sasson believes the Arabs won't make [agree to] any arrangement if they don't know what will happen with the country.
I consulted with Sasson on the matter [of A. S., the Arab man from Hebron] (I read the page [from Ben-Gurion's diary on this matter, above] to him). It's not true that Sasson sat down with Epstein and with him. A SHAI agent sat down with him, and it turns out that the plan is Epstein's and not this man's. Sasson advises that I not meet with Epstein but rather with [Chaim] Herzog or [Arye] Levavi, or Levitze [Yitzhak Levi].
- At 11 [Chaim] Herzog. He'd looked into what [General Gordon] MacMillan [commander of British forces in Palestine] wants. They're prepared to defend every Jewish settlement. He's not opposed to the Yishuv defending itself, but he will oppose counterattacks by the Yishuv. If he's given advance information about Arab preparations to attack - they'll take action; for example, they were informed about mines - and they sent a force to dismantle them. But they won't act against gangs that are not taking action.
A gang leader told an officer that they're preparing to attack settlements using a "hit and run" tactic, rather than concentrated forces, because they don't want to get entangled with English.
There are a few [British] policeman offering their services to the state. They [Herzog et al.] don't know what to do. In my view they should be accepted - and in the meantime they'll be our allies. Herzog is asking that an order along these lines be given to Yehezkel [Sahar].
Caution should be taken in Jerusalem, in Herzog's view. They [the British] are sensitive. [Our men] used a loudspeaker in Talbiyya and as a consequence [the neighborhood was] fenced off. Today [as punishment, the English] are shelling a house in Yemin Moshe. District Commissioner [James] Pollock hates us. The [Anglican] bishop is against us. So Herzog is opposed to sending a force to Gush Etsiyyon, because this will stop the army from defending Gush Etsiyyon. [We] can "build" [gather] supplies there over a few months - if they are sent by road. The army might refuse to escort us in the future. Herzog advises transporting the men (100 men) by air. There's already somewhere to park [land].
Herzog proposes establishing an armored brigade. Every soldier needs to know how to drive, [use the] wireless, [use a] machine gun. There should be training in the use of armored vehicles, coordination, and also the actions of armored vehicles should be coordinated with motorized infantry. Herzog was in the staff of a brigade [in the British army]. He worked under [General Alan] Cunningham [commander of the Eighth Army in 1941, and now High Commissioner of Palestine]. I asked him to prepare a plan for an armored battalion.
[Zvi] Leibowitz, [Jerusalem's city] engineer: I told him that the planned accumulation of water is not enough. [We] need to prepare enough water to last until [the next] rainy season. At least 100,000 c.m. are needed. Leibowitz does not think this will be possible with tanks. Can't we have 100 pools of a thousand c.m.? Leibowitz thinks a cubic meter will cost 3 liras [P£].
So far they've calculated 10 liters per person per day. During a state of emergency, 5 liters per day per person is enough. For 100,000 people, 500 cubic meters per day. For 200 days - we'll need 100,000 c.m.; we have a 30,000 c.m. pool in Romema, 15,000 c.m. in various pits. There may be another 10,000 c.m. - meaning that we're short 50,000 c.m.. Currently all of Jerusalem is consuming 17,000 c.m. per day. [We] can provide only 12,000 c.m. per day from Rosh Ha'Ayin. Rosh Ha'Ayin could provide more, but there aren't enough machines.
- Rabbi Fishman [Y. L. Maimon]: I'm not doing my duty as chairman [of the Jewish Agency]. The officers are disconcerted. They hear that government officials are about to be hired, and the Agency officers aren't even being considered.
I. M. Levin [of Agudas Israel] issued a pamphlet in America and is attacking Rabbi Fishman. He [Rabbi Maimon] insists that there be no negotiation with the Aguda without his knowledge. In the Executive they promised him that they wouldn't do anything without him, but he's not sure. He's complaining about Gruenbaum - he ruins the meetings, talks constantly, provokes everyone.
[Y. L.] Fishman is calling for a special division for Jerusalem [in the Jewish Agency Executive]. - (And the special committee?) It's not connected to the Executive. Fishman won't be a minister - because he won't leave Jerusalem, although a minister of religion is needed, and better he should be a minister of religion than someone else.
There are two proposals for assistance to Jerusalem, one from the Situation Committee, the other from merchants: Mann and others.
- I summoned Granovski [Dr. Granot, KKL director-general]. I instructed him to telegraph his people in America [to say] that Golda's funds are earmarked for defense. Kaplan hadn't talked to him about this, but about the 6 million [from] the loan, and this is what he'd telegraphed about. Granovski denies Kaplan's remarks that he supposedly demanded half [of Golda's funds].
I raised the issue of the Negev. The budget of 2,100,000, I said, is not the limit. It may require more. This is [for] the acquisition of the Negev - defense and settlement are intertwined. If the KKL takes the entire Negev project on itself - I think it should be released from participating in allocations for defense, although we won't release it from providing guarantees and other leniencies. The military equipment for the Negev will come from the general defense budget.
Granovski is favorably inclined towards this proposal; he'll suggest to the KKL that it take the Negev project upon itself - right now it's over 2 million, and it might turn out to be more than that - on the condition that the KKL participate in formulating the plan, optimizing expenditures, and funding it. The second condition - through this project the KKL is fulfilling its duty in terms of defense, and it is released from other demands involving defense (Granovski adds: including immigration. I refused to agree [to this]).
Granovski is on the Jerusalem Committee: ([David] Remez, [Izhak] Ben-Zvi, Rabbi [Y. L.] Fishman, Bernard Joseph [Dov Yosef], [Peretz] Bernstein, [Werner] Senator, [Avraham] Granovski. They've also added Menashe Elyashar - from the Chamber of Commerce, a decent man). They established five subcommittees: 1) For administrative legal questions. 2) For economic development (Remez, Bernstein, Fishman, Granovski, Solomon, Menashe Elyashar, [Yaakov] Frumin [sp.], [Yitzhak-David] Mann). 3) For religious, scientific, and cultural institutions. 4) For land, housing, and planning (Granovski, [Prof. Dov] Ashbel, the architect Neufeld [sp.], Zalman Lifshitz [Leef]). 5) To prevent [people] leaving.
A company for (the development of) Jerusalem was founded with capital of half a million. Kaplan agreed that the Agency would give 100,000, KKL would give 100,000, the Histadrut is called upon [to give] 60,000 (they've already committed to 25,000), Hachsharat HaYishuv [the Palestine Land Development Company] and Jerusalem personalities 20,000.
What they will do: Reinforce industry that does not require transport. They purchased 400 dunams south of Bethlehem for an industrial zone, a construction plant.
- In the afternoon David [Shaltiel] brought me details about what little equipment they received and the majority that they didn't receive, and how much they owe the recruits and for purchases: currently they owe P£ 40,000. They have no incoming payments until the end of the month. The monthly needs in Jerusalem are P£ 50,000 (upkeep of recruits).
In prison in Jerusalem - about 140 prisoners, of these 60-70 ETZEL, 30-40 LEHI, 7-8 Haganah members.
- Dr. Leo [Cohen, political secretary of the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem]: Government [should be: UN Palestine Commission] officials are due to arrive here soon and liaison officers need to be appointed: for the military - [Chaim] Herzog, for administration - [Walter] Eytan, for the economy - [Dr. Alfred] Bonne and [Dr. David] Arian, for the police - Yehezkel [Sahar] (but he's in Tel Aviv), transportation - Bar-Kochba [Meirovitz] (?).
- At five a delegation from the university - the rector, [Prof. Michael] Fekete [a mathematician], Prof. [Yoel] Rakah (a physicist) [dean of the faculty of mathematics and natural sciences], and Dr. [Werner] Senator [the director-general]: First regarding releasing students to pursue their studies, to the extent possible. I said that every student engaged in defense-related scientific work won't be released from this work, or sent to provide a different service. Regarding other students, they cannot be completely released, but efforts will be made to allow them to continue their studies to the extent possible. There are 80 students in Gush Etsiyyon. Fekete is asking for a little time off for them, so that they can study a little - if they cannot be sent back.
The defense situation at the university [on Mount Scopus] itself has improved - there's more equipment, more barbed wire, and more people. Along with Hadassah [Hospital] there are about 500 people there. About 160 people are residing at the university itself. Fekete proposes that beginners serve, and those finishing up be allowed to finish their studies. Finally he raised the question of the university itself. They're afraid that Tel Aviv, Rehovot [the Weizmann Institute], and the state will swallow it up. [They're] making sure that the medical faculty gets established. And now, in Fekete's view, a law faculty is needed.
I told them that I'm not authorized to speak on behalf of the state, but in my opinion, and it seems to be the opinion of most of the movement, the university in Jerusalem will be more than a university for the state - it will be the university of the nation, which goes beyond the state, and it will remain in Jerusalem not only to strengthen Jerusalem - but to consolidate the [Jewish] people throughout the diasporas. It will embody the spiritual center of the Jewish people. Every major literary institution - leading book publisher - and the industries related to science that do not require the means for heavy transport - optical, chemical, biological, bacteriological industries - should be concentrated in Jerusalem.
This evening they have a meeting with members of the sciences - physics, chemistry, and medicine - to discuss their contribution to defense needs. I asked that they report on all of it through Aharon [Katzir], who's serving as a liaison between defense and science. If they need to elect a representative on behalf of the university - please [do so].
- I appointed a committee of three - [Yair] Haezrachi [sp.] [KKL's main office director general], [Shlomo] Eisenberg [Jewish Agency secretary general], and David [Shaltiel], to decide on the rooms needed for the defense [establishment] in the national institutions' facilities.