Britain Chares Jews with Bring First to Open Fire in Battler for Jerusalem Roads

The British Government today charged that he Jews in Palestine were the first to open fire in the battle for free convoy traffic to Jerusalem. The charge was made in a letter presented by the British delegation to the U.N. Palestine Commission, the text of which contains the following points:

“1. The maintenance of food supplies for the Jewish population of Jerusalem is largely a matter of ensuring free passage of traffic on the 37-kilometer stretch of the Jerusalem-Jaffa road between Latrun and Jerusalem.

“2. Very early in the disturbances which have occurred in Palestine since November 29, 1947 attacks on traffic using this road were made by both Jews and Arabs. It is difficult to say who initiated these attacks, but it is fairly certain that firing action was first taken by the Jews after their vehicles had been stoned by Arabs in Ramleh.

“3. The situation then developed into a fight for control of the road. The Arabs, no doubt in order to facilitate action by their troops, withdrew all their own vehicles from the stretch of road in question and were then secure in the knowledge that any civilian traffic which they cared to attach must be Jewish.

“4. The Jews than appealed for assistance. During December certain escorts were provided by the Army and the police; but it became the Jewish practice to produce at the convoy rendezvous more vehicles than had been arranged for, with the, result that the escort provided was insufficient. The blame, for this was laid by the Jews on the government of Palestine.

“5. It will “be appreciated that to ensure absolute security on a stretch of road 37 kilometers long, winding through rough end hill country with frequent steep gradients, it was quickly found that it was useless to rely on large, cumbersome, slow-moving convoys such as the Jews depended upon end to which they resorted against all the advice of the security authorities.

“6. Instead, a system of standing and also highly mobile military and police patrols was instituted with the object of keeping the whole road under constant surveillance. As a result of these measures the situation improved and traffic began to move more freely.

“7. Such Jewish reversals as were then suffered were usually traceable to the employment of the Jews of long slow columns of unarmored and unarmored vehicles similar to those referred to above. “8. Meanwhile, efforts were made by the government of Palestine to persuade the Arabs to allow Jewish food convoys to pass unhindered, provided that nothing but food was carried; that Jewish accompanying personnel were reduced to a minimum; and that the convoys were subject to search at some selected point.

“9. There were indications that the Arabs would be prepared to agree to some such arrangement, but suggested solution was rejected in advance by a Jewish, Agency spokesman. Moreover, the situation, had by this time developed into a fight for various vantage points dominating the road. The Arab attitude stiffened, and recently Jewish attacks on Castel village further prejudiced the success of these negotiations.

“10. It is emphasized that officials of the Jewish national organizations made no representations to the government of Palestine that the Jews of Jerusalem are facing starvations. On the other hand, they have always alleged that they have plenty of stores and that the present stringency in the Jewish areas of Jerusalem is due to careful and close control and not to real shortages. Al indications, however, refute this allegation.”