Evening star., 1948-05-29
Arabs Attacking
In Jerusalem S
Modern Sector
Jews Trying to Break
Blockade of All Four
Highways Into City
BY the Assoeioted Press

CAIRO, May Z9.-AraD IToopS
began an attack today in mod
ern Jerusalem. Jews, short of
water and food, tried desperately
to break a blockade of all four
highways entering the city.
Lgion guns pounded Jewish con-
centrations in New Jerusalem as
raging fires swept the ancient Jew
ish ghetto in the Old City. There
Israeli remnants, with food and
ammunition gone, surrendered yes
terday after a flve-month siege
topped off by an 11-day pounding
from the guns of King Abaullah's
Arab Legion.
Jews Under Siege.
Now the Jews in all Jerusalem
are under throttling state CT siege
that can be ended only by the open
ing of supply routes to the Mediter-
ranean coast.
The battle for the defense of
New Jerusalem and for the liberia
ton of the Old City continues
A Hagana (Jewish army communi-
que declared.
Thousands of Israelis and Arabs
were still locked in battle west OF
Jerusalem for the highway from
Tel Aviv which could supply the
Holy City's 10000 Jews. The Arabs
threw armor, artillery, planes and
all the manpower they could spare
into the fight. Tel Aviv reports said.
Jews fighting to break the Arab
ring around Jerusalem could see
smoke and flames belching from the
rubble-strewn Old City.
Latrun Battle Crows.
To west in the Latrun area the
big battle grew hourly in intensity.
Thousands of both sides were COM
mitted to the struggle for the life
line road which links Tel Aviv with
Jerusalem. Egyptian planes were
reported taking part in the fight.
Arab League headquarters here
said last night Egyptian and 1raq
planes attacked and scattered TO-
900 Jewish soldiers assembled yes
terday in the fight for the Bah el
Wad gorge east of Latrun. The
Tel Aviv-Jerusalem road winds
through the gorge.
Israelis have given no figures on
their forces in the Latrun fight,
which is being wage on a 4-mile
front, IL to Is miles west of Jeru-
salem.
The Arabs claimed to be contin-
uing an attack in the southern sub
urb of Jerusalem -Baqaa, Talpiyot
and Katamon. The league said their
fall was expected. But Associated .
Press Correspondent Carter L. Da-
wilson reported yesterday that he
visited those suburbs and none had
been hit by anything for two Gays.
Tel Aviv Is Bombed.
The Jerusalem correspondent OF
the Cairo newspaper Akhbar el Yom
said Trans-Jordan Legionnaires,
Egyptians and Iraqis. supported by
planes. opened an attack inside Je-
rusalem against the Hagana forces
who are trying to break the Arab
siege
Tel Aviv dispatches said Arab
fighter bomberS attacked the all /
Jewish city at dusk last night.
Count Folke Bernadotte. the
United Nations mediator for Pales-
tine, conferred here with Egyptian
Premier Nokrashy Pasha. He said
they discussed only the general sit
uatlon in Palestine and that he
found the Premier very nice and
charming"
A Baghdad dispatch said 1raqi
Foreign Minister Nasrat Alfarsi left
for Amman to attend conference
of the Arab Leagues political COM
mlttee considering the U. N. Security
Councils Palestine discussions
Baghdads Christian churches tolled
their bells at the news of the sur
render of the Jews in Jerusalems
Old City.
Israel Short of Oil.
An indication that Israel's war
machine needs oil was seen in a
report from Haifa that the govern
ment of Israel had offered to guar
antee the flow of oil products to
the Arab states, if they provide oil
for the Haifa refinery
A British informant said the
Iraqi Petroleum Co. pipeline, which
supplied the refinery. could be
operated at once, If an agreement
could be reached.
A Jewish government representa-
tive said he was prepared to supply
the labor to operate the refinery i
and also to train Arabs for similar
work
Before the Jewish Arab war, oil
was piped to Haifa from the rich .
Northern Iraoi oil fields.