יומנים > יומן - מלא 12/12/1948

Sunday, December 12, 1948 I returned from Tiberias to Tel Aviv in the afternoon. In Tiberias I spoke with Elik [Shomroni] about NAHAL [No’ar Halutzi Lohem – Pioneer Fighting Youth, a combined military service and agricultural settlement program] matters – which are due to be discussed by the Defense Committee and with L. [Lesya – Elazar] Galili – matters involving Ma’arachot [the army’s magazine] and a military library. – In the afternoon Ya’akov [Dori] came to see me. He’d informed Isser [Be’eri] that he was suspending his service – not ousting him, because this cannot occur without a trial. He asks whether it’s possible to give him a different role – such as the Logistics Department. I said that I personally am not opposed, but I must get the opinion of the minister of justice, to whom I submitted the material on Isser. Ya’akov thinks that David [Shaltiel] should replace Isser [Be’eri, as head of the security services] – I agreed to this, and I suggested [Moshe] Zadok in place of David, and [Yisrael] Amir in place of Zadok. Ya’akov is inclined to agree. – I received a message from [Eliahu] Sasson, who’s in Jerusalem, [saying] that he’d sent a letter to the king by way of [Abdallah al-]Tall. Yesterday Tall came to see him on behalf of the king and said that he wants to conduct negotiations on peace – not immediately, but in 10 days, after he tries to bring the other Arab countries to peace talks. If they do not want to – he’ll do it alone. Sasson asked whether he would intervene in a war between us and another Arab state, such as Iraq. Tall promised to bring the king’s response. He asked about Jaffa, Ramle, Lod, etc. – Sasson replied that this is a topic for talks. At a meeting with Moshe [Dayan] and Tall, Moshe presented my decision (after conveying it to Tall in a private conversation earlier), that the talks would not continue in the form of truce [talks] but rather armistice [talks], aside from the issue of Bethlehem and Christmas [checkpoints]. – Klaus the American [Samuel Klaus from the US State Department] told someone that soon there would be British bases in the Triangle, and under no circumstances would they give us the Negev. [Eliahu] Epstein also telegraphs that we should be concerned about the American security council [i.e., the Joint Chiefs of Staff], which fully supports the military authorities in England. – Government meeting. [Pinchas] Rosenblüth [Rosen] thinks that Isser [Be’eri] should be tried for intentional murder. In this he’s overstepping – but a court-martial is needed here.