Evening star., 1948-07-11
Truce Rejected
BY Arabs; Jews
Hold KeyFie|d
Israeli Troops Press
Drive on z Villages
Near Lyddo Airport
BY the Associoted Press

oJ ''e SSsSI'O'eo fIssS
CAIRO, July 1O.-The Arab
tonight rejected a new 10-da,
truce in Palestine as Jewisl
troops, after storming LYDIA air
port, a major prize of the war
were closing in on nearby strong
hold villages.
Arab civilians were reportet
fleeing in large numbers from Lyddi
and Ell Ramle and Israeli troops wer
already in the outskirts of LYDIA
birthplace of the legendary ST
George who slew the dragon. Cap
ture of these villages would open tn
way for an attack. on Latrun, las
Arab barrier to Jerusalem.
Earlier an Israeli source said Jew
ish troops had captured the village
of Deir Tariff. between Wilhelmi
and Belt Nabala, indicating that al
afternoon counterattack on Lydd;
airport had begged down.
Abdel Rahman Azzam PaSha. sec
retary-general of the Arab League
said the Arab countries could no
accept the proposal for anothe
cease-ire made by Count Folk
Bernadotte. the United Nation
mediator. He said the Arabs coult
not even agree to a three-day trucl
extension.
Accepted by Jews.
The Israeli government accepted
the Today extension on condition
that the Arabs would do likewise
Arab and Jewish planes were
thrown into the growing fight. jew
ish sources said Israeli bombers at.
tackled the village of Kuneitra
about u miles across the Syriar
border, which was reported to bt
one of the main Syrian suppl,
bases for an attempted drive int
Western Galilee.
The Jews also said Israeli fighter!
had shot down a Syrian bombel
near Mishmar Hayarden, an Arab
held village south of Lake Hula
Vigorous fighting was reported IL
the area.
A Syrian army communion,
claimed Jewish forces had suffered
losses amounting to $50 killed ant
more than double that numbe
wounded in fighting on the North
ern front.
Bernadotte Not Pessimistic".
In Jerusalem, a furious attack b,
Jewish mortars struck at Christian
converts and hospital on the Wa,
of Sorrows. A Jewish portar shel
killed one Armenian woman ant
wounded another when it hit tn,
Armenian convent of Saint Jane
near the Zion Gate.
Count Bernadotte. en- route t.
Lake Success. stopped briefly a
Rome and said:
THE war is not on fully yet" II
Palestine. He said Arab-Jewisl
clashes yesterday were incidents.
He expressed belief that "the Arab
do not really want to fight"
Count Bernadotte also said h
could understand" the Arab refusa
for extending the four week truce
He added: Il had proposed an un
conditional truce. in a way, it woul'
have been disadvantageous for tn
Arabs to accept that
Count Bernadotte said he does no
consider his mission finished and h
is not pessimistic.
Five Raids on Tel Aviv.
Air raid sirens sounded in tn
Jewish capital of Tel Aviv five time
today. Some small bombs wer
dropped by unidentified Spitfres bu
no casualties were reported.
LYDIA Airport is a strategic prize
The British left LYDIA when the
gave up their mandate May Il
The Arabs moved in. The field
less than IS miles southeast of TIE
Aviv. Just on the U. N. proposes
border between Jewish and Ara
territory.
The Jewish government spokes
man in Tel Aviv said the Israel
forces launched their attack o.
LYDIA at midnight with a larg
column of armored vehicles and in
fantry. An unofficial source in TIE
Aviv said the defending forces wer
mostly Iraqis.
TIE said the Iraais and Arab lie
gonnaires stationed nearby tried t
counterattack with one tank and 81
armored cars but that the JEWS
troops disabled all seven vehicles an
the Arabs retreated. =.
The airport and its hangers wer
found relatively undamaged, tn
spokesman said.
Battle Fought Near Isdud.
Elsewhere, the Jewish settlemen
of Negba. south of Isdud, was tn
target of an air and artillery attacl
Jews pulled out of the isolated settle
ment of Kfar Darom, the Tel Avi
spokesman said. The Egyptian
claimed the capture of Kfar Daror
last night.
The Cairo newspaper Akhbar {
Yom said Egyptian shells wiped ou
Kfar Darom in retaliation for a
attempted attack from the settle
ment on King Farouk's party whic
visited the front last week.
| The Jewish government spokes
man said Jewish troops killed 80
Egyptians and captured 200 in,
battle near Isdud, Is miles south {
Tel Aviv. The Egyptian defens
ministry said last night that 81
Jewish soldiers were killed yester
day in the costal plain area belo'
Isdud.
The creation Of a temporary
civil administration for Arab-hel
areas of the Holy Land was an
nounced by the Arab League.