The Provisional State Council tonight decided that the Constituent Assembly, the members of which will be chosen in the forthcoming national elections, will consist of 120 persons. The Council also decided that national elections will be held 45 days after an official notice is published in the Israeli Gazotte. The elections will not to held in December as originally scheduled.
A Jeepload of Israeli soldiers who lost their way inside Lebanon and accidentally reached a Moslem village today was joyfully greeted by the inhabitants who asked them for protection against Fawzi el Kaminski’s forces. The Israeli commander of the northern front, however, announced that the army will not occupy this or other villages which have asked for protection.
Henry Vigier, personal representative of acting mediator Dr. Ralph Bunche, today sent a message to Foreign Minister Moshe Shertok charging that since the Negev ceasefire of October 22 Israeli troops have continued to advance and occupy now positions, particularly in the area of Bethlehem, Hebron, Ishdud and Beit Jibrin. The massage added that Bunche had been informed of Vigier’s charges.
An Israeli communique today reported that Egyptian troops made an unsuccessful attempt to break out of the fortress police station at Iraq Suweiden, in the Negev. The troops, which have been surrounded and out off from supplies since early in the Negev battle, attempted to smash through the Jewish lines under cover of an artillery barrage, but were driven back.
The U.N. staff reported the conclusion of an agreement with Syria to station truce observers at the Syrian front lines. The action followed a vigorous protest by U.N. headquarters against an earlier refusal to permit the stationing of observers. Meanwhile, Vigier and Gen. William Biley, chief military observer, went to Beirut to negotiate with the Lebanese on various truce matters.
Jean Mabilleaut, a representative of the United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund, arrived in Haifa to supervise the distribution of foodstuffs destined for Arab and Jewish refuges children and pregnant mothers. The first food shipment is expected to arrive at the port city within a few days.
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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.
