  {"id":211606,"date":"1948-05-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T20:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=211606"},"modified":"2019-03-12T20:12:34","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T20:12:34","slug":"auto-insert-211606","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-211606\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle in Jerusalem &#8211; Cablegram from Chairman SecCo Truce Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div style=\"text-align:left;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\">\n<hr height=\"4px\" \/>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\">CABLEGRAM DATED 19 MAY 1948 FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\">SECURITY COÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµCIL TRUCE COMMISSION ADDRESSED TO THE<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\">PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµCIL<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:left;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\">THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SECURITY COÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµCIL TRUCE COMMISSION INSTRUCTS ME TO TRANSMIT TO YOU THE FOLLOWING COMMÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµICATION:<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:left;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\">FURTHER TO THE INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED IN YOUR TELEGRAM I WENT TO SEE KING ABDULLAH MONDAY MORNING AT AMMAN STOP MR AZCARATE ACCOMPANIED ME STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;I EMPHASIZED TO THE KING THE ANXIETY CAUSED TO THE SECURITY COÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµCIL BY THE ADVANCE OF HIS TROOPS IN PALESTINE STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;THE KING REPLIED WITH A FIERCE TIRADE AGAINST THE JEWS WITHOUT GIVING ANY GUARANTEE TO CEASE MILITARY OPERATIONS STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;WITH REGARD TO THE WHOLE OF PALESTINE WE CONSIDER IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PREVENT THE COMPLETE OCCUPATION OF THE ARAB ZONE BY THE ARAB STATES STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;THE ONLY PRACTICAL MEANS OF PREVENTING OR LIMITING ATTACKS FROM THE JEWISH ZONE WOULD BE STRONG DIPLOMATIC OR MILITARY PRESSURE ON THE ARAB STATES STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;WITH REGARD TO JERUSALEM THE KING STATED HE WAS PREPARED TO REFRAIN FROM INTERVENTION IF THE JEWS CEASE ALL ATTACKS AGAINST THE ARABS STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµLESS VERY STRONG DIPLOMATIC PRESSURE IS EXERCISED OR MILITARY ACTION IS TAKEN AS SUGGESTED IN MY TELEGRAM OF THE SEVENTEENTH I CONSIDER THE PARTICIPATION OF THE ARAB LEGION IN THE BATTLE OF JERUSALEM ABSOLUTELY INEVITABLE STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;ON RETURNING FROM AMMAN WE WENT INTO THE OLD CITY TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH ARAB MILITARY AND POLITICAL LEADERS STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;WE SPENT THE NIGHT THERE RETURNING HERE YESTERDAY EVENING STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;THE JEWS IN THE OLD CITY WERE BESIEGED IN THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;DURING THE NIGHT BETWEEN SÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµDAY AND MONDAY NEGOTIATIONS FOR SURRENDER WERE HELD WITHOUT ANY RESULT BY VARIOUS RELIGIOUS DIGNITARIES STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;ON ENTERING THE OLD CITY I OFFERED MY GOOD OFFICES TO ENTER INTO CONTACT WITH THE JEWISH AGENCY IN ORDER TO DISCOVER ITS INTENTIONS REGARDING THE SURRENDER OF THE JEWS BESIEGED IN THE SYNAGOGUE STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;I REACHED FULL AGREEMENT WITH THE LOCAL ARAB MILITARY AND POLITICAL LEADERS BUT THE JEWISH AGENCY GAVE ME A NEGATIVE REPLY FORMALLY REJECTING THE CONDITIONS OFFERED BY THE ARABS STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;DURING OUR JOURNEY TO AMMAN AND EVEN IN THE OLD CITY WE WERE TOLD THAT THE JEWS WOULD ONLY SURRENDER TO THE ARAB LEGION AS IT WAS A REGULAR ARMY FROM WHICH THEY MIGHT EXPECT RESPECT FOR GENEVA CONVENTIONS ON PRISONERS OF WAR STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;PERHAPS THIS WAS THE PRETEXT FOR THE ARABS INDUCING THE LEGION TO ENTER THE OLD CITY YESTERDAY AFTERNOON STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;BEFORE LEAVING THE OLD CITY I ASKED THE JEWISH AGENCY WHETHER THERE WAS ANY TRUTH IN THESE RUMORS AND ONCE AGAIN I WAS MET BY A NEGATIVE ANSWER THE JEWISH AGENCY AFFIRMING THAT THE JEWISH MILITARY SITUATION HAD GREATLY IMPROVED IN THE LAST FEW HOURS STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;A BITTER BATTLE IS BEING WAGED INSIDE THE OLD CITY THE ARABS ARE CONTINUING THEIR ATTACKS ON THE JEWS SHELTERING IN THE SYNAGOGUE WHOM REINFORCEMENTS FROM THE ALMOST ENTIRELY JEWISH-CONTROLLED NEW CITY ARE ENDEAVOURING TO REACH STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;WE HAVE HEARD THAT AS MANY AS 300 COMBATANTS AND 200 NON COMBATANTS ARE BESIEGED IN THE SYNAGOGUE STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;THE SITUATION OF THE JEWS IN THE REST OF THE CITY WHO ARE DEPRIVED OF WATER ELECTRICITY AND PROVISIONS IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND PRECARIOUS STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;IN THE COURSE OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH KING ABDULLAH MR AZCARATE TEMPORARY MÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµICIPAL COMMISSIONER RAISED THE QUESTION OF WATER WHICH IS BROUGHT FROM SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE CITY FROM SPRINGS IN ARAB CONTROL BUT MET WITH CATEGORICAL REFUSAL STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;THE MILITARY SITUATION IN JERUSALEM IS FLUCTUATING SO THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO MAKE PREDICTIONS STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;WE ONLY KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE MILITARY SITUATION IN THE REST OF THE COÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµTRY FEW SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON THIS SUBJECT BEING AVAILABLE IN JERUSALEM STOP&nbsp;&nbsp;I SUMMARISED THE SITUATION AS FOLLOWS:&nbsp;&nbsp;THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE BLOOD-SHED WOULD BE TO BRING STRONG PRESSURE TO BEAR ON ALL THE PARTIES CONCERNED.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:left;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;margin-left:180px;\">\n\t\t\t\tJEAN NIEUWENHUYS\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:left;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;margin-left:180px;\">\n\t\t\t\tCHAIRMAN OF THE SECURITY COÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµCIL\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:left;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;margin-left:180px;\">\n\t\t\t\tTRUCE COMMISSION IN PALESTINE\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:left;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;margin-left:180px;\">\n\t\t\t\tNEUVILLE\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:left;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;margin-left:180px;\">\n\t\t\t\tFRENCH CONSULATE IN JERUSALEM\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#000000;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;font-family:Times New Roman, serif;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\">&#8212;&#8211;<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CABLEGRAM DATED 19 MAY 1948 FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SECURITY COÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµCIL TRUCE COMMISSION ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµCIL THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SECURITY COÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµCIL TRUCE COMMISSION INSTRUCTS ME TO TRANSMIT TO YOU THE FOLLOWING COMMÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµICATION: FURTHER TO THE INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED IN YOUR TELEGRAM I WENT TO SEE KING ABDULLAH MONDAY MORNING <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-211606\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[897],"document-category":[3345],"document-source":[1362],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1769,1829,2401,1961],"entity":[1985,1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-211606","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","country-israel","document-category-cablegram","document-source-security-council","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-casualties","document-subject-holy-places","document-subject-jerusalem","entity-state","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/211606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/211606\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=211606"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=211606"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=211606"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=211606"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=211606"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=211606"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=211606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}