יומנים > יומן - מלא 14/02/1949

Monday, February 14, 1949

Last night Moshe D. [Dayan] met again with the doctor [Dr. Sethi (sp.)] and Tall. The doctor brought the king’s “peace lines”: the armistice lines – as they are now, aside from the modification in Lod and Ramle (he didn’t specify whether it would just be Arabs returning to these two places, or whether these two places would return to the Arabs); Jerusalem would be divided between us and them (not international); they would be responsible for the Iraqi front (without saying that they are representatives or that the Iraqis are retreating); Eilat’s fate would be the same as Haifa’s. They have much interest in Gaza and the Negev – “they have no option of relinquishing these areas.” He didn’t touch on the question of refugees. He was asked whether the [border]line doesn’t include Lod and Ramle either, and how the line is mapped in the Negev (he claims that they advanced in the Negev), and whether he will bring a representative on behalf of the Iraqis. He’ll reply in a few days.

         The [Jewish] POWs will be released – in groups. We need to reply to him on the matter of Lod and Ramle, and whether we’ll enter into peace negotiations.

         – At 10 a children’s party at the [Jewish] Agency building.

         I was informed this morning from Tel Aviv that for now only 50% [?] of the votes in Tel Aviv have been counted (in total 30,000 voted), we received about 62%. In Haifa about 19,300 voted, A – 12,000, M – 5,000, P – 568, K. 711, Sh. 413 (about 63% for us) – in Ramat Gan A – 2,272, M – 1,550, P 105, K 130, Sh 80 (55% for us). In Netanya A 956, M 362, P 119, K 46, Sh 58. In Ness Ziona A 301, M 153, P 23, K 15, in Rehovot A 1,927, M 659, P 108, K 40, Sh 24. Hadera: A 1,095, M 541, P 90, K 66. Ra’anana A – 541, M 277, P 50, K 21, Sh 4. Kefar Saba A 900, M 430, P 102, K 22, Sh 23. Zichron A 349, M 62, P 4, K 1, Sh 9.

         [In] Jerusalem 6,501 voted (aside from soldiers – about 2,000) of which 21 were invalid [votes], 784 questionable, the 5,696 valid ones are distributed [as follows:] A 3,854, 67%, M – 945 – 74.7% [sic], P. 351, K 159, Sh 387.

         – At 11 a forest-planting party at Sha’ar HaGai in remembrance of the fallen soldiers of the War of Independence.

         – At 12 – government meeting.

         – In Tel Aviv they counted 20,931 (there are still about 3,000 soldiers’ votes and 5,000 or more uncertain), distributed [as follows]: A 12,809 – 61.2%, M 5,901 – 28.1%, P 749 – 4%, K 700 – 3.3%, Sh – 717 – 3.4%.

         – During the forest-planting at Sha’ar HaGai yesterday I said: It is not in the forest that we plant, nor in the monument that we build, that the memory of the heroes who fell for the redemption of their people and their homeland will be inscribed and preserved – but in the heart of the Jewish People, in the heart of all the People of Israel; not only in our generation but to the very last generation there will remain the memory of the heroism and glory of the fighters who dared and could. We are planting a forest and we will plant many more forests in order to actualize something of the wishes and desires of the fighters who gave their lives for the blossoming and building of this country, so that the entire People of Israel, across all its exiles [diasporas] will be able to proudly return to its land and live a life of liberty and well-being within it. And you, the parents of these fallen heroes, especially you dear mothers – the Hebrew [Jewish] mother who was always the symbol of love, purity, and loyalty and because of whom we survived all the ages of Galut [Exile, i.e., Diaspora] over thousands of years – we know how great the sorrow and pain in your heart is, how great the loss that you have borne – and it has no recompense. But dear mothers and fathers, you have been granted what multitudes of mothers and fathers throughout the generations, whose sons were murdered and slaughtered and killed for no reason and no aim over the course of our lengthy exile, were not granted – your precious sons fell so that the Jewish People could live in its homeland, free and independent. Our People does not have a status of dignitaries and status of siyudim [should be: miyudim – outcasts?] [and] I believe we never will. But I believe that when future generations come – and they will come – to record the lineage of the wondrous redemption that began in our time, they will not record it in letters of gold – but with love and admiration – and your heroic sons and daughters will be recorded and so too you the mothers and fathers will be in the historical record of lineage, and our People will know who it was that raised sons among us for heroism and glory and devotion – and both they and you will be forever in the nation’s memory.

         – At 3 I went to Yeshurun Synagogue to hear the prayers, as I had promised Rabbi Berlin [Meir Bar-Ilan] yesterday. This was the first time for me in Eretz Israel that I was present in a synagogue during prayer services.

         At 4 the Constituent Assembly [the Knesset] opened.