Arabs Renew Attack on Kfar Etzion; Jews Repulse New Arab Invasion from Syria

A strong force of Arabs today launched a renewed on attack Kfar Etzion, strongest of a chain of colonies in the Hebron Hills, south of Jerusalem. The force, composed chiefly of Arab Legionnaires, reinforced by a company Iraqi troops and local Arab guerrillas, opened fire at dawn. Late reports stated at the Jews have repulsed the Arabs, despite the fact that the raiders were supported armored cars, field guns and heavy machine guns.

Meanwhile, a government broadcast stated that a new invasion attack by foreign Arabs on Jewish settlements in Upper Galilee has been beaten off by the Jews. A Haganah report said that a Lebanese artillery unit was seen crossing the Palestine frontier in the direction of Remath-Naphtali, near the Syrian border.

(British War Minister Emanuel Shinwell today told Commons that the Haganah ad Irgun are believed to possess about 100 armored cars, mostly vehicles to which armor plate was recently attached, a very small number of track vehicles such as Bren gun carriers and a number of half-tracks. The gun carriers have been stolen from the British, Shinwell said, but the origin of the half -tracks is not yet known.)

Although the cease fire agreement in the Katamon quarter of Jerusalem expired at 4 P.M., quiet reigned in the area pending further negotiations for a renewal or extension of the truce, It is believed that the U.N. Consular Truce Commission is active in the latest attempts to maintain the peace.

PLAN TO CONVERT JERUSALEM INTO RED CROSS SECURITY ZONE

International Bed Cross Representative Jacques de Reynier told a press conference that the Red Cross has been contacted by various non-political, non-military [organizations who are interested in converting the entire city into “a security zone [under the Red Cross.” tinder such a set-up, he asserted, non-combattants would be ad-| Bitted to the city which would be supplied with food and water by the Red Cross.

Northwest of the city two Jewish settlements, Atarot and Neve Yacob, were shelled last night by Arab artillery in positions in the Judean Hills. The Jews re-parted that some 30 ahdll8 fell on the settlements. The Haganah raided a group of buildings near the Hebrew University from which snipers were active yesterday.

The Sternists charged that the recall of British troops to Palestine means the end of all evacuation plans, and warned that they will strike at the British. “There will never be peace and order with the British in Palestine,” the underground added.

A Jewish Agency spokesman in Tel Aviv revealed that the Agency has established a custodian for Arab property. He said the move was necessitated by the fact that Arab evacuees abandoned a good deal of property behind when they fled the scenes of fighting in various parts of the country. He also revealed that the Agency has granted a safe conduct to an Egyptian convoy which will evacuate Egyptian citizens from Jerusalem and return them to their native land.

The “shadow” government of the Jewish State today began a series of closed meetings to decide on the form for proclaiming the Jewish Republic May 16, Other important items under discussion, as the end of the British mandate draws near, are a name for the Jewish State, the election of the capital, deciding whether the legislature should have one or two houses and the formation of a militia to replace the Haganah.