Evening star., 1948-07-05
New Outbreak of War
Threatened in Holy Land


and Jews we're reported on good au-
thority today to have turned down
a United Nations plan for lasting
peace in Palestine, but the U. N.
mediator still seemed hopeful.
The mediator, Swedish Count
Folke Bernadotte, planned to fly
from Rhodes to get the Jewish reply
in Tel AVN today or tomorrow. He
was given the Arab answer in Cairo
Saturday night.
The Arabs gave him counter
proposal Neutral diplomatic sources
expected the Jews to do the same.
His recommendations not final, were
offered only as basis for discus
sion"
New Outbreak Threatened.
A new outbreak of war was
threatened in the Holy Land. The
four week truce arranged by Count
Bernadotte ends Friday. Both sides
prepared yesterday to fight again,
In Jerusalem the truce was broken
for u hours as Jews and Arabs
exchanged gunllIe.
A high Egyptian sources said
Count Bernadotte has asked that
the truce be extended.
The mediator himself told a
Rhodes news conference yesterday
he will not know whether to seek
an extension until he has the jew
ish reply. But of his peace pro-
posals he said: Il think the door Is
still OPEN
Those proposals would Partition
Palestine and create an Arab-JeW-
ish economic union, as under the
U. N. Assembly's plan, They would
change the plan to revise boun-
diaries, throw Arab Palestine III with
Trans Jordan and put Jerusalem
under Arab rather than interna-
tional rule. They would give the
u. N. the final say on immigration.
An authoritative government
source in Tel Aviv said the Israeli
cabinet, meeting throughout yester-
day, decided to reject Count Ber-
nadotte's plan. israeli officials were
against an Arab-ruled Jerusalem
and anv bar to Jewish immigration,
the informant explained.
Israel Raises Draft Age.
Peace. but not at any price,
seemed the general feeling among
Israells. More men and women we're
conscripted for the army under
new order raising the top draft age
from 35 TO Al. Tel Aviv, under
blackout even during the truce,
tried out new searchlights last night.
The exiled Mufti of Jerusalem,
Hal Amin Ell Husseini, said here
Yesterday the seven-nation Arab
League has turned down the medl-
ators proposals. He pronounced
himself against truce extension.
Henry Cattan, Palestine repre-
sentative to the League, said the
counter-proposal of the Leagues
Political Committee was that Pales-
tine be made an Arab state guar
anteeing the Jews full citizenship
and minority rights.
Another Arab source here said
Egypt intends to invite 81 Moslem
countries to a Cairo conference on
"the Western nations and Amerl-
cas- attitude toward the Palestine
Arabs"
Sporadic mortar cannon and ma
chinegun fire was exchanged by
Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem
throughout Saturday night in the
Tirst big truce violation there.
Arab Shipping Charged.
A Jewish spokesman said the
Arabs started the fight by sniping
from the old City's Walls. A Jeru-
salem dispatch reported an Arab
woman killed and eight Jews
wounded.
A Trans Jordan defense ministry
announcement blamed the outbreak
on attacks made by Jews.
Count Bernadottes proposals
were made public in Cairo, Tel
Aviv, Rhodes and Lake Success,
N. Y. U. N headquarters. They
were amplified by him in his news
conference in Rhodes. his media
ton headquarters.
He gave this reason for putting
Jerusalem in the Arab state and
dropping the U. N. plan for an in
ternational city surrounded by an
Arab state:
I'VE can already see how such a
situation works. While it is not an
exact parallel, look how it works
in Berlin"
Free Ports Proposed.
His proposals would allow each
member state to fix its own immi-
grafton policy in the first two years
of economic union and appeal dis
putes to the U. N. economic and
social council.
He told reporters his plan envis-
aged arrangements Ito keep the
present Trans-Jordan area lnde-
pendent" with only Arab Pales-
tine in the economic union.
The plan also would establish
tSee PALESTINE, Page ABB
az kiiIad in Rorhnv Riofs