Israeli Army Reports Arab Violations of U.N. Cease-fire in All Parts of Palestine

Despite acceptance of the U.N. Security Council’s cease-fire by both Jews and Arabs, and notwithstanding the fact that the truce was scheduled to go into effect by 3 A.M. this morning, a special Israeli communique today listed a number of Arab violations on all fronts. The Jewish Defense Army also reported that the Arab Legion shelled Jewish areas of the new city of Jerusalem all through the night and far into the day.

Among the Arab violations of the U.N. order were an artillery attack on the settlement of Dan from Benias, across the border in Syria; also two Egyptian attacks, as well as a new counterattack by Iraqi forces east of Jenin, toward which the Israelis were driving when the cease-fire order halted them. In Jewish military headquarters the problem of coping with the Arab violations was receiving top priority, with consideration being given to reopening Israeli offensives against the Jenin-Tulkarm-Hablus triangle, Ramallah, and the Egyptian forces south of Tel Aviv, behind whose lines Jewish guerrillas have recently become more active.

The Egyptian blows this morning fell at Negba, in southern Palestine, where infantry supported by tanks and artillery opened an attack. At Hulda, on the Latrun front, Egyptian planes dropped bombs on Jewish positions. At the same time Arab sources reported that an Israeli task force had crossed the Transjordan frontier and attacked a rural police station at Ghores Safi, eight miles behind the frontier at the southern end of the Dead Sea. Eight of the garrison were reported killed in the sortie, the Arab report said.

The Jewish Defense Army’s headquarters announced that last night, prior to issuing the cease-fire order, its planes bombed enemy concentrations in the Tulkarm and Jenin areas and that its land forces were less than three miles from the latter city. Jewish planes also raided Arab barges at the southern end of Lake Tiberias, while Jewish artillery shelled Banias yesterday. Arab planes bombarded Petach Tikvah and several Jewish villages in the Negev yesterday. In the latter action one plan was shot down in Jewish territory and one made a forces landing behind the Arab lines, near Gaza. Jewish offensive operations on this front resulted in the capture of two Arab villages yesterday.

A Jewish military spokesman, presenting a picture of the situation on the Jerusalem supply highway, stated that from Jerusalem to Bab el Wad the road was and is in Jewish hands and that Laturn has become a no men’s land. The Arabs have been driven out of the Laturn monastery and police station and control the villages of Deir Youb and Yalu, to the north of Latrun, while the Israelis hold Beith Jis and Beith Suhin, to the south.

In Jerusalem the Hadassah Hospital and Hebrew University buildings on Mt. Scopus have been hit again by Arab shells, whille Rabbi Iser Zalman Meltzer, 87-year-in the city.