Evening star., 1948-07-17
Jerusa|embattIe
Ha|tsAfter Niqht
OF Wild Fighting
Guns Cease on Truce
DeudIine After Jews
Fail to Take Old City
BY the Assoeioted Press

CAIRO, July 17.-Arabs and
Jews ceased firing in Jerusalem
today after a wild night of fight
ing, but the war went on else
where despite hopes a new truce
was near for all Palestine.
During the night Jewish troop
concentrations estimated by Arab
Legion officers at 5000 launched re-
peated attacks against the Damas-
Gus, Jaffa, Zion and New Gates to
the Old City.
Automatic weapons hammered like
pneumatic drills without a break for
10 straight hours. Behind them
mortar shells thundered and roared
at one-second intervals all night.
The battle came to a halt a sec
ond before the United Nations truce
deadline at 4 am. g pm. Friday,
EST.
There was as yet no indication
whether the Arabs would accept a
Security Council order for truce
in all Palestine by Sunday night.
The Jews have announced willing
ness to accept a truce if the Arabs
will do so.
Irgun Zvai Leumi troops in Jeru-
salem respected the truce, but a
leader of the extremist Jewish Or
ganization declared that if Jerusalem
becomes an international city as a
result of the truce plan, it will mean
that "the Jews have won the fight
but lost the war;
In the north holdout Arab forces
continued fighting inside Nazareth,
captured yesterday by the Jews.
A Syrian communique said two
Jewish planes raided Damascus
without causing material damage.
Strong Attack on Old City.
Guns and mortars pounded cease
lessly throughout the night In Jeru-
salem like stormy waves on a rocky
coast, but for hours after the cease
fire deadline, not shot was heard.
The Jews opened the attack last
night from their positions in the
modern city, dispatches from the
Old City said. They plastered the
Arab-held walled Old City with more
than 500 shells before dawn. The
Arabs replied with artillery.
Before the artillery duel began,
Arab troops had broken through the
Jewish front in the Mea Shearim
quarter and blasted forward for 500
yards in the direction of modern
Jerusalem's heart. American cor
respondents with the Arab Legion
reported.
Jewish aircraft bombed Egypt
again yesterday, attacking the Ell
'Arlsh air base near the Palestine
frontier. The Israeli government
said Egyptian air attack we're made
on the Tel Aviv area.
The Egyptian capital Of Cairo,
bombed by the Jews for the first
time Thursday night, was placed un-
der partial blackout. Gas street
lights have been dimmed. Only
electric lights which can be easily
extinguished were permitted to re-
main on.
Emergency Declared in Cairo.
A state of emergency was decreed
in Cairo to prevent possible violence
against Jewish residents. Truck
loads of police patrolled Cairo streets
and special police were placed around
the Jewish quarter.
In Northern Palestine a Jewish
settler was reported to have shot
down a Syrian plane with rifle fire.
A Jewish report said two Syrian
airmen died in the crash.
Both Arab and Jewish command
ers appeared racing to gain as much
ground as possible in view of a pos
sible truce period.
Arab armored forces with plane
and artillery support launched a
heavy counterattack on the north
en front. The Syrian Army was
reported to have launched a strong
attack following a week-long de-
fense against the Jews in that Sec
tor.
In the area around Nazareth, boy
hood home of Jesus, the Jews ap-
peared to have launched an all-out
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