1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War (87 page)

ii. Kirkbride, Amman, to FO, zi December 1947, PRO FO 371-61583.

12. Ronald Campbell to FO, 27 April 1948, PRO FO 371-68370-

13. Gerges, "Egypt and the 1948 War," 154.

14-. Landis, "Syria and the Palestine War," 191.

15. P.M. Broadmead to FO, 3 May 1948, PRO FO 371-68371-

16. Eppel, Palestine Conflict in Modern Iraq, 158 -189.

17. Campbell to FO, i May 1948 (no. 536), PRO FO 371-68371. In another cable, Ambassador Campbell commented: "Ulema's pronouncement is likely to excite irresponsible and fanatical elements who have been clamouring for more action by Arab Governments.... [The Egyptian Government] may feel unable to resist for long an intense and sustained popular clamour for urging [i.e., urgent] intervention" (Campbell to FO, i May 1948 [no. 533], PRO FO 371-68371).

18. Campbell to Ernest Bevin, 17 April 1948, PRO FO 371-68370-

19. Campbell to FO, i9 May 1948, PRO FO 371-68506.

20. Ilan, Origin ofArab-Israeli Arms Race, 26 -29, 35 - 37, 5152

21. Gerges, "Egypt and the 1948 War," 155

zz. Nasser, "Memoirs," To.

23. Collins and Lapierre, Jerusalem, 302.

24. Pappe, Making ofArab-Israeli Conflict, 109.

25. Kimche and Kimche, Both Sides of the Hill, 153.

z6. Gerges, "Egypt and the 1948 War," 155•

27. Kimche and Kimche, Both Sides of the Hill, 1$4.

28. Sadat, Revolt on the Nile, io6.

29. Kimche and Kimche, Both Sides of the Hill, 154.

30. Campbell to FO, z May 1946, PRO CO 537-1756.

31. Collins and Lapierre, Jerusalem, 338.

32. Doran, Pan-Arabism before Nasser, 128 -131.

33. Campbell to FO, 17 May 1948, PRO FO 371-68373. A similar lone voice of reason was heard also in the Syrian parliament, where Farzat Mamlouk, on 27 April, spoke of Syrian unpreparedness and impending disaster (see Landis, "Syria and the Palestine War," 191-192).

34. Golda Meir, protocols of meeting of People's Administration, 12 May 1948, ISA, People's Administration, 43.

35. Pappe, Making ofArab-Israeli Conflict, 112.

36. Campbell to Bevin, 17 April 1948.

37. Segev, ed., In Enemy Eyes, 83.

38. Neguib, Egypt's Destiny, zo.

39• Sadat, Revolt on the Nile, 152, 108.

40. Glubb, Soldier, 93•

41. BMEO, Cairo, to British legation, Amman, 29 April 1948, PRO FO 816/118.

42. Shlaim, Collusion across the Jordan, 227-228.

43. HIS-AD, "In the Arab Public," 5 May 1948, IDFA 1196/52//1.

44. Collins and Lapierre, Jerusalem, 408.

45. Campbell to FO, 15 May 1948, PRO FO 371-68372.

46. Unsigned but either HIS-AD or Israel Foreign Ministry, "Bulletin of Arab [Radio] Broacasts," 17 May 1948, HA 105/90.

47. Glubb, Soldier, 93, claims that there was no plan: "There had been no joint planning of any kind. The Israelis subsequently claimed knowledge of an Arab master plan, combining the strategy of all the Arab armies. No such plan existed, nor had any attempt been made to prepare one." See also Abu Nowar, Jordanian-Israeli War, 153.

48. Collins and Lapierre, Jerusalem, 157.

49. Trefor Evans, Beirut, to FO, 12 October 1947, PRO FO 371-61530, conveying the thinking of Jordanian prime minister Samir Rifa'i.

5o. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 148 -149.

51. Gerges, "Egypt and the 1948 War," 159.

5z. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 27.

53. Unsigned, "The Arab Plan of Attack after the 15th of May," 5 May 1948, IDFA 49/5942//53; Yeruba al, General Staff Division/3, to "Amitai" (Ben-Gurion), Yadin, etc., 9 May 1948, IDFA9zz/75//595•

54. Segev, ed., Behind the Screen, 27; Shlaim, Collusion across the Jordan,19q. Kimche and Kimche, Both Sides of the Hill, 15o, offer a variant of the plan.

55 Glubb, Soldier, 85.

56. Shlaim, Collusion across theJordan, zz6.

57. Glubb, Soldier, 85.

58. Ma`ayan, "Losing the North," 1:273.

59• Shlaim, Collusion across the Jordan, 199-201. The Lebanese, Syrian, and Iraqi elements of the plan were telegraphically conveyed in Kirkbride to Bevin, 14 May 1948, PRO FO 816/1zo.

6o. Tripp, "Iraq and the 1948 War," 137. So long as Iraq's archives remain closed, the point must remain moot.

61. Eliahu Sasson, untitled memoranda, 12, 19 August 1946, CZAS25-9o36. For `Abdullah's and Ben-Gurion's support of such a partition scheme even before the Sasson-`Abdulah meetings, see, respectively, Kirkbride to Thomas Wikeley, FO, 29 July 1946, PRO FO 816/85; and Gelber, Jewish-Transjordanian Relations, 2o5.

6z. Kirkbride to FO, 23 August 1946 (nos. 1364,1387), PRO FO 816/85.

63. Ezra Danin, "Conversation with Abdullah 17.11.47," undated, CZA Sz5-4oo4; Golda Meir, protocol of meeting of People's Administration, 12 May 1948, ISA, People's Administration, 40.

64. Pirie-Gordon to Peter Garran, FO, 27 August 1947, PRO FO 816/88.

65. Unsigned, "Off-the-Record Talks in Transjordan of Two British Correspondents," 21 October 1947, CZA S25-9o38.

66. Kirkbride to Bevin, 29 October 1947, PRO FO 816/89.

67. Packard, "Trans-Jordan-A Possible Forecast of Events in Palestine," 5 March 1948, PRO FO 371-68369.

68. Kirkbride to FO, iz January 1948, PRO FO 371-68365.

69. Jordan Legation to UK, "Notes Concerning the Jewish Claim to the Negev," 17 November 1948, PRO FO 371-68643.

70. Bevin to Kirkbride, "Conversation with the Jordan Prime Minister," 9 November 1948, PRO FO 371-68366.

71. Bevin to Kirkbride, "Conversation with the Jordan Prime Minister"; 9 February FO to Kirkbride, 1o February 1948, PRO FO 371-68818.

72. Glubb, Soldier, 6z-66.

73. Abul Huda, London, to Rais al-Divan (head of the king's bureau), Amman, 8 February 1948, PRO FO 816/12.

74. Kirkbride to FO, 25 April 1948, PRO FO 371-68370-

75. Meir, protocol of meeting of People's Administration, 1z May 1948 (first session), ISA, People's Administration, 40-44.

76. "Meeting of the Arab Section of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency (13 May 1948)," ISA, Documents, December 1947-May 1948, 789-791

77• Meir, protocol of meeting of People's Administration, 12 May 1948, 40-44; Shertok to Nahum Goldmama, 13 May 1948, ISA, Documents, December 1947May 1948, 791; Tall, Memoirs, 48 -5o; Shlaim, Collusion across the Jordan, 205 - 214.

78. "S.R." (Shlomo Rabinowitz [Shamir]), "Report," 3 May 1948, ISA FM 2513/2.

79. Glubb, Soldier, 152.

8o. Collins and Lapierre, Jerusalem, 365.

81. Doran, Pan-Arabism before Nasser, 134, quoting from Hashimi's memoirs.

82. Kimche and I imche, Both Sides of the Hill, 165. Shlaim, Collusion across the Jordan, 226, argues that Egypt's last-minute decision to participate in the invasion was in large measure dictated by Farouk's desire to frustrate 'Abdullah's suspected intention of taking over a large chunk of Palestine.

83. AI-Qawugji, "Memoirs, 1948," Pt. 2:3-33; Shlaim, Collusion across the Jordan, 203.

84. For example, J. B. Pruen, "Conversation with Major 'Abdullah Tell [Tall], Military Governor of Arab Jerusalem ... and Dr. Mousa Husseini on 24th May, 1948," 24 May 1948, PRO FO 371-68641: "All reference to the Arab Higher Committee gave the impression that it is regarded [by Tall and Husseini] as being non existent [sic]. Members of the Arab National Committee in Jerusalem are subordinated to Major Tell."

85. Shlaim, "Rise and Fall of the All-Palestine Government in Gaza"; Elpeleg, In the Eyes of the Mufti, 8o-81.

86. Ben-Gurion, As Israel Fights, 68 -69, giving the text of Ben-Gurion's speech at the Mapai Council, 7 February 1948.

87. Shertok, protocol of Cabinet meeting, 16 June 1948, ISA.

88. Ben-Gurion, protocol of meeting of JAE, 16 April 1948, CZA.

89. Ben-Gurion, In the Battle, 135-137•

9o. Ostfeld, An Army Is Born, 1:15.

91. Gelber, EmergenceofJewishArmy, 132-140.

92. Gelber, Emergence ofJewishArmy, 146, 153, 159.

93. Pail, Emergence ofZahal, 372373; Gelber, EmergenceofJewishArmy, 212-214.

94. Gelber, Emergence ofJeirish Army, 219 -220.

95 Gelber, Emergence ofJewish Army, 225 -226.

96. Cohen, History of Israeli Air Force, 1:325-366; Ilan, Origin of Arab-Israeli ArmsRace, 89-104.

97. Ilan, Origin ofArab-Israeli Arms Race, 189.

98. Evans, Beirut, to FO, 1o October 1947, PRO FO 371-61530.

99. Evans, Beirut, to FO, iz October 1947, PRO FO 371-61530.

loo. Sherok speech at Security Council, 15 April 1948, ISA, Documents, December 1947-May 1948, 638.

ioi. Abu Nowar, Jordanian-Israeli War, 8o-8z.

102. "In the Arab Camp," 3 May 1948, CZA S25-9o46.

103. "Information about the Arabs of Palestine (According to Arab Broadcasts, 7-9 May)," CZA S25-9o45.

104. Ben-Gurion, War Diary, entry for 7 May 1948, 397•

105. Unsigned, "The Arab Attack Plan after the 15th of May," 5 May 1948, IDFA 49/ 5942//53. The plan also called for Jordanian and Saudi troops to "destroy" the `Etzion Bloc. It does not mention Iraqi participation. A variant, which included the Iraqis, was penned by the head of the Intelligence Department of HGS, Major Ezra Omer ("Yeruba'al"), on 9 May (Operations/3 to Ben-Gurion, Yadin, etc., IDFA 922/75//595)-

106. Unsigned, "Meeting of the Arab Section of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency (13 May 1948)," undated, CZA S25-5634. See also Haim Berman and Leo Kohn to Reuven Zaslani, 12 May 1948, CZA S25-9390.

107. Ben-Gurion, War Diary, entry for z May 1948, ioi6.

io8. Gelber, Emergence ofJeirish Army, 243.

109. Ilan, Origin ofArab-Israeli Arms Race, 64, 69.

no. Ilan, Origin of Arab-Israeli Arms Race, 67; IGmche and IGmche, Both Sides of the Hill, 161.

iii. Gelber, Budding Fleur-de-Lis, 1:416-436, says that the Yishuv knew almost nothing about the Arab armies until midway through the conventional war.

112. Pappe, Making ofArab-Israeli Conflict, 109.

113. Ben-Gurion, Restored State oflsrael, r:7i.

114. Glubb, Soldier, 95; Pappe, Making ofArab-Israeli Conflict, 109 -110, 122. Ofthe Arab governments, only Hashemite Jordon's felt secure enough to commit almost its whole army to the war.

iii. The best up-to-date estimates are in Agin, "Balance of Forces"; Ben-Arieh, "Begirming of Historiography of the War of Independence"; and Ilan, "Few against the Many," all in Kadish and Kedar, eds., The Few against the Many?

Ilan, Origin ofArab-Israeli Arms Race, 67, speaks of "27,500" Arab troops in Palestine at the end of May; Glubb, Soldier, 94, speaks of "21,500" on 15 May; and IGmche and Kimche, Both Sides of the Hill, 16z, speaks of "23,000" or "24,000" on 15 May. Glubb and the Kimches leave out the Palestinian militiamen, Muslim Brothers, and ALA troops inside Palestine in mid-May. Khalidi, ed., From Haven to Conquest, 867-871, offers a total, on 15 May, of "13,876" for the invaders. But he fails to mention that the invaders, whatever their real number, were all combat troops and that they were supported by large numbers of rear-echelon troops and by thousands of irregulars.

116. Glubb, Soldier, 92, spoke of "4,500." IDF intelligence (Dan Ram, "The Transjordan Army-the Legion," undated, IDFA 863/5o//363) spoke of "4,0004,500" invading Legionnaires.

117. The number of irregulars is impossible to calculate. But there were probably some 3,ooo ALA and i,ooo Muslim Brotherhood troops in Palestine on 14 May, as well as thousands of Palestinian militiamen (most of them in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Those in and around Jerusalem participated in the fighting).

i18. Galili, Yadin, and Wallach, eds., Carta'sAtlas ... Haganah, 114.

iiq. Galili, Yadin, and Wallach, eds., Carta'sAtlas ... Haganah, ii4.

120. Ilan, Origin of Arab-Israeli Arms Race, 61. By comparison, zo-44-year-old males constituted 14 percent of the population of Arab Palestine. Had the United States conscripted 13 percent of its population in World War II, it would have had 21 million under arms.

121. Ben-Gurion, War Diary, entries for 19 October 1948, 5 January 1949, 754, 1o18.

122. British embassy, Jedda, to Bernard Burrows, 18 August 1948, PRO FO 371- 68788, speaks of 1,200 "regular" Saudi troops as well as irregulars.

123. Ilan, Origin of Arab-Israeli Arms Race, 67. Glubb, Soldier, 195, says that on i October the Arab armies engaged in Palestine fielded "55,700" troops ("i5,ooo" Egyptians, "i5,ooo" Iraqis, "io,ooo" Jordanians, "8,ooo" Syrians, "2,000" Lebanese, and "700" Saudis; he adds to this "5,ooo" irregulars). The Israelis, he said, had at this time "120,000" troops.

124. Ilan, Origin ofArab-Israeli Arms Race, i.

125. Ilan, Origin ofArab-Israeli Arms Race, 5.

126. Houstoun Boswall to FO, 30 July 1948 (retransmitted to Amman on 31 July), PRO FO 816/127.

127. Ilan, Origin ofArab-Israeli Arms Race, 6z; Greenberg, "Financing the War of Independence," 63-78.

1z8. Ilan, Origin ofArab-IsraeliArms Race, 104.

129. Morris, Road to Jerusalem, 261-262, nn. 296, 298, for discussion of numbers and sources. Some tribal auxiliaries were already in Palestine in early May, serving in the ALA independently (e.g., in Bab al-Wad-Latrun) or alongside local militiamen (in Safad and Jerusalem).

130. Ilan, Origin ofArab-Israeli Arms Race, 45; Morris, Road to Jerusalem, 122.

131. Glubb, Soldier, 92, 94.

132. The exact number of Legion companies left behind and the mechanics of the British connivance in this are unclear. It appears that between two and six companies and several independent platoons were left behind. See Morris, Road to Jerusalem, 268, n. 375.

133. Ilan, Origin ofArab-Israeli Arms Race, 47.

134. Bandman, "Arab Legion"; Tall, Memoirs, 65-67.

135. Morris, Road to Jerusalem, 172, 181.

136. Ilan, Origin of Arab-Israeli Arms Race, 49. In a "parade of generosity," the Egyptians in July gave the Legion four hundred shells from those confiscated from the "Rameses" (Pine-Gordon to Burrows, 25 July 1948, PRO FO 816/ 127)-but the Legion was then expending five hundred shells a day.