Two of the many foreign correspondents here were ?day taken under military protection, into the walled Old City of Jerusalem to see ? first hand what was happening to the 1,800 Jews who have been besieged there for ?re than a week by more than 35,000 Arabs living within the walls.
Escorted by a British Lieutenant Colonel, the two newsmen saw heavily armed soldiers not only guarding the streets, but also the roofs of the houses on which ?rbed wire barriers have been erected, gun emplacements established and sand bags ?led up. These precautions, the officer explained, are necessary because one can talk around the Old City on the roofs of the houses. It is also possible to communicate below ground level, because many subterranean passages honeycomb the area.
The correspondents saw numerous sandbagged Arab houses from where shooting was ?ing on. The Jewish Street leading to the Wailing Wall and the Wall itself, the ?liest Jewish place, were quiet. The only access to the Jewish quarter is by way of ?on Gate, which is too narrow for any sort of vehicles, making it necessary to bring ?st food into the quarter by hand.
Anybody venturing to use the more accessible Jaffa Gate faces death since a three-story house dominating the gate is a snipers’ nest. Only British troops are permitted to pass through without being molested. Food convoys go through only when escorted by troops.
DEFENDERS UNITED UNDER HAGANAH; DEVASTATED AREA DUBBED “LITTLE WARSAW”
The Army said that Haganah snipers are also active in the area. Military quarters estimate that there are 300 to 400 armed Jews inside the Old City, including a number of Irgunists and Sternists who have accepted Haganah commanders. “It is quite apparent,” a military spokesman said, “that the Jews have no intention of leaving the Old City. It lends prestige to them if they remain.”
One section of the Old City, nearest the Arab quarter, is so devastated as a result of numerous attacks that the soldiers have dubbed it “Little Warsaw.” Debris is strewn over the pavements which are bloodstained in many places.
When the correspondents were being shown around, the Jewish residents were lining up for food. Each one received 500 grams of bread and 200 mills – about 40 cents to purchase sweets in the few Jewish shops which are still open, Also in operation are a few schools.
SYNAGOGUE CONVERTED INTO JEWISH MILITARY QUARTERS; RELIGIOUS OBJECTS REMOVED
The colonel escorting the correspondents said that “when the British clear out of the Old City, the Arabs will try to clean up the Jews. But the Jews are ready to lose 1,000 men to hold this historic position, in a bid for American backing.” He pointed to a synagogue which has been taken over as a military headquarters, with the permission of the Jewish authorities, who removed religious objects, and revealed its walls are mined daily by the Arabs and “demined” by the British.
The colonel expressed the belief that if his troops were given a free hand, they could stop arms from coming into the quarter, but he added that it would take 10,000 men to disarm both sides, since they have hidden hideouts and the Old City is “teeming with weapons.” He indicated that the Army’s attitude is that “when the Jews and Arabs snipe at each other, leave them alone but if the fire is directed at
?, then give them a burst.” The total British contingent is 145 troops and 43 police, all of whom guard the Jewish quarter. The Arab quarter is entirely under Arab control.
With few exceptions, all the Jews want to remain, the correspondents were told, ?d the Haganah men are quite cheerful, complaining only that they have no newspapers ?d their only means of communication is a small radio, which the Army complains ##terferes with their reception.The Army’s attitude might be summarized as follows: there will be violent ?ting and chaos in the Old City when the troops are withdrawn. Although the Jews ?e better organized and might gain initial successes, the Arabs are more wily and ?re experienced. Eventually, the Arab type of fighting will win not only Jerusalem, ?t all of Palestine, unless outside forces are sent in.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
