Evening star., 1948-01-04
About Battle Flares
in jerusalem as Jews
Fighter W|ailing | Wall
By The Assssiaisa Pre,s,


JERUSALEM. Jan. 3-vioient
tiehting erupted In Jerusaiem,s 4
q old walled, CITY tonight and In
-formantstsaid Jews and Arabxin
that sacred area were locked IN
AN ill. out" tight Tor control Of
the ancient streets:
Jews began :, the battle. Arab
sources said, by tossing grenades ia
an attempt to- regain control OF the
Wailing Wall, ,JudSasm's holiest
shrine In. Jerusalen. Arab rinemen
have occupdsd the wall fol, the last
two weeks
Jews and Arabs lashsd ct each
other On two fronts, Is fighting
also broke out On EJerusaIem's OUT
skirts. <,
Casualties Dsscribsd ~ Heavy.
Eyewitnesses inside the old walled
City said the battle, had assumed
major proportions. Casualties
were described rs heavy on both
Sides Arabs using "Molotoy cock
tails" gasoline filled bottles} set
some Jewish shops afire.
As the battle began Jerusalem was
covered BY q, dust pall brought by
q 4o-niile-ar1-hour gale.
Police said they had no details Of
the fighting in the old city but
added: The entire walled area ID
isolated. No one can enter or leave
the. city because the Arabs control
al the gates"
An American priest in the Fran
eiscan convent inside the Holy
Sepulchte Church told the Asso-
: oiated Press by telephone: I'VE can
hear the fight from here. It Is the
heaviest we have heard yet"
; l,see Jews Iselatsd.
:, Approximately 1900 orthodox
Jews have been living In = state Of
siege In the old city. Cut on by
the surrounding Arab area these
Jews have been supplied daily by
eorayoys. !
The first casualty report from
-eyewituesses said one Jew and one
Arab had been killed and four Jews
injured. A police cadet officer and
q constable were wounded.
In disorders throughout Palestine
is persons, including II Arabs and
two Jews, were known to have been
killed today. The unofncial count
Of deaths since the United Nations
voted for partition November 20
stood At 533.
Meanwhile, . reliable private in
fMmsnt said that during the last
fewsdays Ave Arab training centers
Tor volunteer guerrilla fighters had
been transferred from Syria to the
Arab-inhabtted hill region Of Cen
trail Palestine. The cholera out
break In Syria was said to be one
OF the reasons for the transfer.
Reprisal Raid Staged.
! In Northern Palestine near the
borders of Syria and Lebanon three
Arabs were killed in 4 battle last
night in Salad and another Arab
was shot to death in a Jewish
attack on, an Arab village near
Tiberias on the Sea Of Galilee, on
cials said. Fighting began again
today In Salad.
Hagana, the Jewish defense force,
announced that four Arabs were
shot to death in q midnight re-
prisal raid ON an Arab stronghold
In the bloody ao-rnan's land be-
tween the coastal cities OF Tel Auv
and Jana. --*
The Jewish faide was made,
Hagana said, after Arabs opened
!. ire on ashouse In the area from .
strongpoint ACROSS the street,
wounding three Jews.
An elderly Jewish woman was
found shot to death in the Arab
bazaar area Of Haifa. There were
other casualties elsewhere In the
Holy Land.
1t Gen. G.. H. Al. Macmillan, the
British commander, ordered the
nightly road curfew for all motor
vehicles extended over q wide area
of Central Palestine "in view of
continued attacks on trains in Arab
areas and attacks in general by
Arab parties after dark"
The manager Of q British service
mems csnteen on Mount scopus
was found shot to death tonight on
the. Nablus road. An Arab was
killed in the village OF Tulkarm.