יומנים > יומן - מלא 11/02/1948
Wednesday, 11 February 1948
Abba [Khoushy]: Haifa needs [Jewish] governance. The Situation Committee is not enough, the headquarters has no authority, command is divided: the local commander - Michael - resigned (there was a dispute between him and Moshe Zelicki [Carmel], and the commanders weren't pleased). [Jacob] Lublini is due to replace him. The district commander is Moshe Zelicki, and commander of the Western Galilee - Ben-Ami Pachter from Hanita.
The arrangement in the refineries wasn't upheld. Only 204 Jews work there, [and] 700 Arabs (200 are about to be fired). They're prepared to accept Jews, and there are none. The work conditions are terrible. We need to bring in "soldiers" [conscripts]. We also need to bring 200-300 "soldiers" to the port.
The port is an area of 13 dunams, 3 km long. It has 50 Palmach, 700-800 Jewish workers. 1,300 Arabs. It's necessary to bring in another 200 Jewish workers to be able to conquer the port. The [British] army wants to take the western part - next to Bat Galim - presumably leaving the rest for civilian use. There's an airfield. The manager, Fuchs [sp.] , wants to stay in the country. It's possible to bring in 50 Jews, and a "unit" should be brought in. And there are customs houses, some of them inside [the port] and most of them outside the port. And there's the administrative center of the railways and the workshops next to the Vulcan-Phoenicia [factories], in a Jewish area (that's also where the airfield is).
In the harbor there are six military vessels armed with cannons - against clandestine immigrants. The police chief has been replaced. McGill is helping us (from the conversations [eavesdropping reports] it would appear as if he's at the service of the Arabs!). I relayed to Abba [Khoushy] what [Tsemah] Segal said about the IPC [Iraq Petroleum Company].
The work situation is good. Workers are lacking. There are still 200-300 working in the army, soon to be dismissed, but they're not of good element [good human material], and all of them will be jobless. It's possible that workers will be lacking [anyway]. Many Arab homes are empty, but Jews are afraid to enter. The Christians are asking that Jews take shelter with them. We need to conquer locations that are in no man's land. For this we need "soldiers." We need to open Stanton Street - which the Jews are afraid to cross because its residents are Arab. This is the only direct route to the port.
We need to establish a coordinating and supreme authority in the city. The [military] force has to be increased - there are only 960 men, half are fully conscripted, half are garrison force. In order to control the city we need 2,000 men. 2/3 conscripts, the rest garrison. The equipment is negligible. At the very least we need to double the heavy things: there are only three mortars, seven [light] machine guns. In Haifa 17-25-year-olds were conscripted, 1,200 men (only?).
In the Situation Committee (representatives of the elected institutions: the Hadar-Carmel Committee, the Kehilla [Jewish Community] Committee, the Jewish [members] of the municipality, the Chamber of Commerce, the Haifa Workers' Council) there are 24 members: 14 outside the Histadrut, 10 from the Histadrut. (Party 6, 4 from the opposition). The 14: Gottle-Levin, Natanson, Dr. Shoham (Finkelstein), Ben-Shabbat, Shabtai Levy, Hess [sp.] (from HaPo'el HaMizrachi), Dr. Goldhammer and Tane (''Aliya Hadasha), Kitran [sp.] (Sephardi), and others. For appointing "the governor" I'll have the Situation Committee submit me a proposal for approval.
- I discussed with Ya'akov [Dori] the reciprocal relationship between the command in Haifa and the command over the brigade [Carmeli], and we both reached the conclusion that we should not split the command and sever Haifa from the Galilee and the country.
- A delegation from the Eastern Galilee: [Hilal] Landesman, [Avraham] Hanochi [sp.], Giv'oni, SDC [subdistrict commander] of Tel Hai. Before leaving he spoke with Mulah [Cohen, commander of the Palmach's 3rd Battalion], area commander. Attacks have increased in the areas of Dan, ''Ein Zeitim, and Safed, killing on the roads and attacking economic objects. There are also attacks across the eastern border. Outside forces are participating.
The curfew [in the area] was announced because of the bombing of a home in Zuq [Al-Zuq al-Tahtani, east of Al-Khalisa, today Kiryat Shmona]. The attack against [Kibbutz] HaHoshlim [Ami'ad] was carried out by men in military uniform. There are confirmed reports about large concentrations in the Eastern Galilee as well as the Western: in Taytaba, Alma, Dishon [Dayshum], Ras al-Ahmar. Today there are also reports about gangs in ''Atzmon, and on the northeastern border - across the Banyas. The Huleh villages received a not-large reinforcement to take action against our transport. There are reports about large-scale operations. Between Ginnosar and HaHoshlim there's a concentration in Al-Qudayriyya [between the Eastern Galilee road and Amud Stream].
In the Tel Hai subdistrict there's a battalion of [the Palmach] Brigade - 900 men, only partially trained, and only partially equipped (only 300 men have equipment). Besides this there's a company of Field Corps (140 men) partially equipped from outside, and partially from local equipment. The garrison force has 1,800 (a shortfall of 970 from the standard; the military strength is 1,011 arms, including the guards' weapons). This is not enough force. We need force to safeguard transport. In the MG [Mobile Guards, HaMishmar HaNa] there are 60 men, they have two pickup trucks for each one. The quantity of ammunition is small. The standard is 200 per rifle, but they're 40,000 [bullets] below the standard.
There are no mines and no explosives - aside from a little for the brigade. There's a plan for the evacuation of children - 2,000. We'll need to evacuate: children, women to care for them, the ill, and old people.
In the entire subdistrict there are four large mortars; in each settlement (except for Ma'ayan Baruch) there's at least a mortar. The quantity of shells is also small.
This week they lost seven vehicles: two were burned on the way to Manara, two on the way to Dafna, two on the way to HaHoshlim (on the day of the attack on the kibbutz), and another one. They need to protect a route of 130 km that passes through Arab villages. There are no armored vehicles, aside from two, one of which was confiscated by the police because it has a military shape, the second is sitting in a garage. Their spirit is not strong. Few people. The fortifications will start next week.
Yisrael [Galili]: They're about to assemble 400 rifles from inside [other places in the country] and of this to send 150 rifles [to the upper Galilee]. Two armored vehicles are setting out for the Upper Galilee.
''Ein Zeitim is in a very difficult situation. Without reinforcement they won't hold on. They're constantly coming under fire. The men need to be replaced - they're tired. Don't need to add more. They're demanding the evacuation of [children] from Shamir, Kefar Szold, and Dan. 60+130+100 - with mothers this is 400 persons. Giv'oni necessitates evacuation. The brigade is opposed - because it's early. (Must be cleared out! [- Ben-Gurion]) but this could increase the demand among many settlements. We'll identify frontier settlements - including Metulla, Manara, and Mishmar [HaYarden].
Uniform command is needed throughout the Upper Galilee, central rule is needed to oversee all the vehicles and all of life. They're demanding that Yehezkel [Sahar] arrange with the government not to seize the armored vehicles.
- Final consultation with Yehuda Arazi: 1,000 [light] machine guns - 500,000, 120 Vickers - 300,000, 10,000 rifles - 280,000, 17 million bullets 680,000, 40-75 - 400,000. 40,000 shells 960,000, 20-20 - 180,000, 100,000 shells 500,000, 10,000 handguns - 400,000, a million bullets 85,000; 300 bazookas with 15,000 rounds - 180,000 - in total 4,465,000, delivery may be up to 40% (1,786,000) - about 2 million.
30 4.2 mortars with 500 shells each about 435,000.
I wrote to Golda regarding the situation and Yehuda [Arazi]'s order in the amount of $ 4,465,000 + 150,000 for [the purchase of] a ship + $ 1.5-2 million for delivery, and I noted that we'll need more for vehicles (6 million), maritime vessels (4 million), an air fleet (2 million).
I also demanded a delivery of supplies (food, fuel, and personal equipment).
After writing the letter I received a telegram from Golda: "Certain so far 15,000,000 dollar, believe will have end month minimum 20,000,000 dollar. Telegraph instructions. Regards."
- The Upper Galilee Bloc Committee (Eilon, Matsuba, Hanita, Nahariya, Evron, Ga'aton, Shave-Tsiyyon, ''Ein HaMifratz, Mishmar HaYam, Kefar Masaryk) also sent me a written plea: Weapons! After they'd approached all the installations, they again sent a special envoy (Ephraim Vizhansky [sp.]) …
- Yisrael [Galili] raised [the issue of] the quarry at Migdal Tzedek (near Majdal Yaba) [today Migdal Afek] for clarification: There's P£ 400,000 worth of Jewish property at the quarry. Half of it belongs to Solel Boneh. There are machines [there] that don't exist anywhere [else] in the country - for the manufacture of lime, etc. The land belongs to Arabs. The village has 1,700 residents. A special committee determined that in order to continue the works despite [opposition by] the Arabs, a force of 2-3 companies (500 men) is needed. There's [only] a platoon there. The quarry spans a territory of 2½ km. [In order to transfer the quarry] machines have to be disassembled first. This will require 30-40 workers over the course of ten days. Transport will require 80-100 workers for two weeks, and 20 vehicles every day for two weeks (transport can begin after two days of disassembly). I asked [that he] inquire whether, for P£ 10,000, it would be possible to secure the help of the police in removing all the property.
- I summoned [Oved] Ben-Ami from Netanya for the afternoon, to clarify the written proposal he'd sent me a while ago regarding the arrangement of a loan instead of fundraising.
Donations - he claims - are given tightfistedly. We should request a wartime loan of 5 million, to begin repayment one year after the founding of the state, in October 1949, and a loan for ten years, at 1 or 2 percent. The Board of Trustees will guarantee that after the founding of the state the bonds will be replaced with state bonds, and everyone will be able to pay 15% or 20% of their direct taxes to the state through bonds. The unit he proposes is P£ 500. According to him there are 3,000 people in the country who would each sign [bonds worth] a thousand pounds. Seven to eight thousand people will provide the entire loan. He proposes using Avraham Diskin, director of income tax in Tel Aviv, [to arrange the loan].
Netanya - which numbers many residents - would according to him contribute 50,000 (that's only 1%). The city of Netanya has an income of 100,000. The work situation in Netanya is good.
They're asking why Aharon Remez telephoned [Nathan] Jackson [of Po'alei Zion in England] regarding the airplanes, when Freddy [Fredkins] is there. Are there two networks? There's a man in London, Dov Bigun, who wants and is qualified to purchase airplanes in Sweden. Baumgarten knows him (recommends him).
They're approaching the Agency regarding recruitment - the Agency is replying that there's no decision on the matter.
- Alon [Yehuda Arazi] received the following from a group of Jews who own camps on the island of Honolulu: 10 B-25 twin-engine bombers, 10 F6F naval fighter planes, 5 PVI fighter planes, 2 TBF planes, 30 light tanks (without cannons) 400 Browning machine guns of 0.300 [caliber], 10,000 new barrels for Browning machine guns, 24 heavy machine guns 50, the possibility to buy 300 radio sets at $ 15 each.