יומנים > יומן - מלא 12/07/1948
Monday, July 12, 1948
In the morning it was announced: Lod has surrendered, that is, the population, but the [Jordanian] army continued to fight the police. Ramle (the population) also announced that at ten they would sign a surrender, but it's still not clear what the army is doing.
I appointed [Akiva] Skidel as adjutant to [Ben] Dunkelman - commander of the "Anglo-Saxon" brigade [the 7th Brigade] - to serve as a liaison between him and E.I. [Eretz-Israelis].
- At 9:30 a Staff meeting. Migdal Tzedek [Migdal Afek] was captured. In Beit Nabala [actually Deir Tarif] the fighting continues because the Legion has reconquered it. In the Galilee the situation is tense. In the south it's severe. The question is who will come to the aid of the south. Brigade Het [8, the Armored Brigade] is almost incapable of engaging in 7-8 days of action because most of its vehicles have been damaged. If Yiftah [Brigade] goes - there's no guarantee that everything necessary for Jerusalem's liberation will be done. We summoned [Armored Brigade Commander] Yitzhak Sadeh to the Lod-Ramle headquarters and headed out there in the afternoon.
The headquarters is located in Yazur [Azur]. We found Yigal Allon [commander of the operation] and Yitzhak Rabin [his deputy] there. They weren't able to make contact with Yitzhak Sadeh - and he only arrived at three.
A powerful column of the Legion arrived to help Lod and Ramle and drew close to Jimzu. Yitzhak [Sadeh] is certain that any action is out of the question for a week.
In light of Haifa's exposure [after the withdrawal of the British forces] we sent a delegation of three: Yohanan [Ratner], [Yosef] Avidar, and [Moshe] Zadok - to reinforce Haifa with manpower and combat equipment.
- [Moshe] Averbuch arrived from Jerusalem tonight. He came by way of the new road [the "Burma Road"] and ran into our convoys on the way to Jerusalem with food.
According to him the Legion is in the Old City, Sheikh Jarrah, Nebi Samwil, the French Hill - there's shelling from all these places - a little less than before the truce.
On the night of [before] Friday, before the truce ended, the Arabs were firing from the [Old City's] wall. At 12:15 on Friday we began bombing, [setting off] explosives (there are about 40 tons in Jerusalem) at a coffee shop near Jaffa Gate. The Legion responded by shelling from the Old City, from Damascus Gate and the Flowers Gate. On the night of [before] Saturday the Egyptians [the Muslim Brotherhood] began shelling in the south - Talpiot and Ramat Rahel.
On the night of [before] Saturday our men captured Khirbet [the ruins of] Beit Hamama (on the road to ''Ein Kerem) [west of Mount Herzl]. The Legion and local Arabs were found at the site.
On Saturday the Egyptians opened cannon fire on Beit Hamama, from Tantura (a monastery on the Bethlehem Road, opposite Mar Elias). The Arabs tried to take the Khirbeh [ruins] back, [and] suffered heavy losses.
Civilian Arabs began fleeing from ''Ein Kerem. They also fled from Malha. Only soldiers remained.
On Saturday morning, at seven, we began shelling the Old City - and are still continuing. Our shells are hitting [the targets]. An Arab position - a mortars crew - was struck by our shelling.
We also shelled Nebi Samwil on Saturday. The 75 mm [cannon] wasn't in operation yet. It was moved because Arab shells were landing around it.
On Mount Scopus things are quiet. 150 ETZEL men are cooperating (on Mount Zion and in the south) and accepting the army's authority. There are about 600-750 ETZEL men in the city.
The mood in the city is good.
[Moshe] Averbuch came to request money for the upkeep of the army in Jerusalem.
- [In consultation] with Reuven [Shiloah], the roles of Isser [Be'eri] and [Chaim] Herzog were determined. They will work on military combat intelligence, the army's security and counterintelligence, eavesdropping, censorship, special operations. They will have a central service and services in the brigades.
Isser Be'eri will manage the service. His main assistant will be [Chaim] Herzog, and [who] will also represent the service at the [General] Staff. The monthly budget is P£ 13,000, excluding the soldiers' upkeep. I issued orders in this regard.
- A delegation from the Valley: The military situation is worrying. They are requesting additional forces and equipment. The settlements have already provided 1,100 soldiers. In recent days they were asked to provide another 300. This is the final limit. 60% of the men had been conscripted. The settlements have no PIATs [and] not enough weapons. I said that we won't be able to send additional military force immediately. Regarding additional weapons I'll discuss the matter with the relevant departments.
- I summoned [Pinchas] Rosenblüth [Rosen] [and] [Rabbi Y. L.] Fishman [Maimon] to discuss the matter of [rabbinical] courts. Rubashov [Zalman Shazar] suggested abolishing the distinction between members of the Knesset [Knesset Israel - the Mandate-era internal administrative body of a majority of the Jewish community] and non-members, and abolishing the Rabbinate Office's lack of authority over matters of Gittin [i.e., granting judicial authority to apply religious laws governing divorce] involving residents born abroad. First of all, Fishman wants the [rabbinical] courts to be granted the same status as [the courts that operate under] Islamic law. Otherwise he will not return to the government, and [ministers Moshe] Shapira [of Mizrachi] and [Rabbi Isaac Meir] Levin [of Agudas Israel] will also pull out. After Fishman rejected a referral to a committee of 4 experts, two to be appointed by Rosenblüth and two by Fishman, Rosenblüth proposed bringing the matter before the Legislative Committee. This proposal didn't pacify Fishman either. I will bring the matter to the [People's] Administration [Provisional Government] meeting.