This Month In 1948

The following article originally appeared
in the Detroit Jewish News on June 4, 1948.
Statehood came to Israel in May 1948.

Israel Fights Obstruction

Jerusalem/JTA — Israel's diplomatic genius is
being tested by the latest trend of events as a
result of the cease-fire truce and the continued
obstructionist tactics of the Arab League and
Britain's Foreign Secretary Ernst Bevin.
While the Jewish State was holding ground
against the overwhelming odds of 50 to 1 repre-
sented by the armies from five surrounding Arab
states, the greatest menace to Israel came from the
attempts of British and anti-Semites to inject new
issues which would lead either to the destruction
of the small State of Israel or its reduction to a
fraction of its present size, which was accepted by
the U.N. as the "irreduable minimum"
From London came the report that Bevin,
already discredited by his own Labor Party
associates and by Winston Churchill, was
proposing a new partition scheme which
would rob Israel of the Negev.
From other quarters, however, came
somewhat encouraging news, including
indications that most of the fighting in

Palestine was in Arab territory.
A message to Israel from Secretary of
State Marshall, welcoming the new state
into the "community of nations," heartened
the Israeli minister in Washington, Eliahu
Epstein, to whom the letter was addressed,
and his associates.
In reply to Lebanon's request for concili-
ation, Israel's spokesman before the U.N.,
Maj. Aubrey Eban, said that "the noise of the
battle must be quieted before other sounds
can be heard:'
Before the truce was accepted by Israel,
the Israeli air force bombed Amman and
hit military targets. Jewish planes were
active elsewhere. An Arab Spitfire was shot
down at Tulkarm. Israelis also shelled and
bombed Arab-held Lydda airport.
Count Folke Bernadotte, president of the
Swedish Red Cross, mediator for Palestine,
already has met with leaders of both peoples.
Jews attacked the Latrun police station
and village for six hours and, despite heavy
resistance, managed to hold ground, burned
a village and killed 150 Arabs. Haganah
bombed military targets at Ramleh for sev-
eral days and bombed Egyptians 20 kilome-
ters south of Rehovot.

— compiled by Sy Manello

editorial assistant

Is A Prisoner Swap Imminent?
Beirut/JTA — Hezbollah will repatriate
two captive Israeli soldiers by next week, a
Lebanese newspaper reported. Al-Akhbar,
a Beirut daily affiliated with Hezbollah,
reported Monday that a breakthrough is
imminent in indirect prisoner-swap talks
between the Iranian-backed Shiite militia
and Israel.
According to the report, the two Israeli
army reservists, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad
Regev, who were abducted in a July 12, 2006,
border raid by Hezbollah, will be repatriated
"this coming Friday, or Sunday'
Israel declined comment, but Jerusalem
sources have recently confirmed progress
in the German-mediated talks.
Israel has signaled willingness to free
Samir Kantar, a jailed Lebanese terrorist,
as well as four Hezbollah guerrillas cap-
tured during the 2006 Second Lebanon
War, in exchange for its troops. Al-Akhbar,
in line with longstanding Hezbollah policy,
gave no indication of whether Goldwasser
and Regev are alive.
Israeli military officials say they may
not have survived the ambush during
which they were snatched.
Israel's Army Radio quoted Kantar's
lawyer as saying he had received no word

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • i■ • • • • • • to • • • • • • • • • •
•
•

T

Answering
Israel's Critics

The Charge
Some critics of Israel contend that
Israeli military actions weaken
American public support for Israel,
but that the pro-Israel lobby pressures
Congress to maintain official support
for Israel.

The Answer
Recent polling has revealed that 71 per-
cent of the American public supports
the Israeli "side" in the Arab-Israeli
conflict.

— Allan Gale,
Jewish Community Relations
Council of Metropolitan Detroit

© Jewish Renaissance Media, June 19, 2008

tr• ••• • • • ••• •

Israel sixty
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his is one party you don't want to miss!

We are bringing Israel to Detroit to celebrate sixty years of statehood.

Enjoy the exclusive use of the Michigan State Fair, including all the usual

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on a plan to free his client, who is serving
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A FAIR TO REMEMBER

AUGUST 21. 2008
3-10 pm

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June 19 • 2008

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