Evening star., 1948-12-26
Arab Air Raid Follows
Order by Israel for
Complete BIackout
Alert Lusts Hour and Half
In Tel Aviv;; ; Children
Are Killed by Bomb
BY the Associated Press

TEL AVN, Israel, Dec. 25,-
Arab planes bombed Israel to-
night, a few hours after COM
plete and unrestricted blackout
was ordered for the whole Jewish
state, it was officially announced.
Air raid sirens sounded in Tel
Aviv and the alert lasted more
than an hour and a half. 1t was
officially stated that a few bombs
were dropped ON the coastal plain"
but no damage was reported.
The Jewish blackout order was
broadcast urgently over Israeli ra-
dio stations late today following
recent air raids at or near Haifa,
Nazareth, Jericho and GAIA.
u Israeli blackouts previously were
aestricted to the battle areas.
In Nazareth, now JeWish-held. the
famed Christian Church of the An
nunciation was blacked out during
the annual Christmas midnight
mass after planes raided Northern
Palestine.
Three Children Killed.
Three children were killed and
five were injured when the planes
scored direct hit on childrens
home in a Jewish settlement near
Nazareth. An Israeli army spokes-
man said the bombing attack, car
ried out just before midnight, was
made by Egyptian planes.
The raids occurred in a section
of the Holy Land that has been
quiet for weeks under the United
Nations truce.
"a Jericho dispatch said a lone,
unidentified plane dropped three
bombs near Jericho Friday night.
No damage or injuries inflicted.
ARAB Legion and U. N. sources
said the plane, presumably Jewish,
circied the town for five minutes
and then dropped one bomb. The
plane then passed over King
Abdullah's winter palace in
Shune. TranS-Jordan, and Drop
ptd kho lllc
of the River Jordan.
(The size of the craters indi-
Gated the bombs might have been
5O0-pounders, U. N. observers
saidD.
Israel Denies Air Activity.
An Israeli spokesman denied that
Jewish planes had flown over the
Shune Palace and dropped two bombs
near the Jordan. Thes pokesman
said there was no Israeli plant over
Trans-Jordan territory and no air
activity during the day. He added
that all is quiet" on all fronts.
(Tn Carlo, however, the Egypr
tian Ministry of War and Marine
said last night that fighting con-
tinued in Southern Palestine and
that Jewish plane fell in flames.
A Ministry statement said: AN
exchange Of fire on the battlefield
Gn Southern PaleStine) continued
today with artillery and other
wea pons. Zionist planes raided
some of our positions and were
AhSU NACll OdO dAll4dll VI dlL
One enemy plane was seen fall
ing ablaze.")
The planes which bombed the
Nazareth district first appeared
over Haifa and the town of Naz-
areth itself. They we're driven
away from both places by anti
aircraft fire. An Israeli spokesman
said no churches or holy places were
hit.
Church Blacked Out.
The raiders did not interfere
with the assembling of Christian
worshipers who were gathering for
the midnight service at the Church
of the Annunciation. However, the
town was blacked out when the
pilgrims arrived and in the middle
Of the mass the church itself was
blacked out.
1t was the first time in history
that the bells of the Nazareth
Church had tolled on Christmas Eve
under Jewish authority.
In Cairo, Abdel Rahman Azzam
Pasha, secretary general of the
seven-nation Arab League, told
newsmen the league has asked the
Arab government to resume fighting
in the Holy Land in cooperation
with the Egyptian army.
He said he had sent the govern
ments note to this effect follow
ing what he called the recent Jewish
truce violation against the Egyptian
army in Southern Palestine.
Azzam Pasha said Syria and Saudi
Arabia already have replied that
they are ready to carry out Arab
League decisions. He pointed out the
league decided last month that all