Ben-Gurion on Bevin in a conversation with the French
consul in Tel Aviv, March 1, 1948
Mr. Ben-Gurion thinks that the British administration would effectively abandon Palestine on May 15, but he is less sure about the evacuation of the troops on August 1. "Mr. Bevin," he said, "has an aversion to Jews because they personify everything that he detests: capitalists, intellectuals and men of the internationalist left. This personal prejudice is reinforced by the hostility to the Jewish cause of British officials whose views he adopts in this matter as in many others."
Sasson to the Israeli Foreign Ministry on his conversation with Kamil Riyad,
Farouk's special envoy in Paris, September 23, 1948
At this point of the conversation, he went into detail on the "nasty deeds" of the British. If it wasn't for their misleading information, if it wasn't for their encouragement and promises - he said - the Arab states wouldn't have gone to war against Israel. The British had purchased, he said, most of the press in Egypt, Iraq and Syria, etc., and influenced public opinion in the direction they wanted. In many instances, they had put in the mouths of the leaders things that they hadn't said, or declarations they hadn't made, and prevented them from correcting them or denying them. They also conveyed information on Jewish "plots" which later proved to be baseless. In addition, the British planted the seeds of ambition in the hearts of the Arab kings and leaders. They explained to Shukri al-Quwatly in Damascus that the war against the Zionists would not only put an end to the plan for a Greater Syria, but it would also lead to the extension of Syria's borders to include Israel's Galilee region. They told Farouk that that he could become an Arab emperor, etc., and told Abdullah that he would probably succeed in adding all of Israel to his country, not just the Arab part. They opened the British coffers to the secretary of the Arab League Azzam Pasha and other influential Arab leaders.
Report by a French officer of a meeting with Eliahu Sasson in the Eden Hotel, Jerusalem, January 1948
Asked by the French officer about the Americans' fears inspired by the infiltration of Soviet agents into the Stern gang, Sasson denies such infiltrations, then becomes animated and declares that the Jewish people have noticed, since December 1, that its most solid support was the Hagana and not the terrorist groups.
"And if this information is true, would America be so foolish as to go back on its decision regarding partition?
It is too late, partition is an established fact. It's now a question of life or death for the Jewish people. Behind us lies the sea, in front of us stands the enemy."
It appears that one must take into consideration the declaration, expressed with visible emotion, by a man normally so composed and realistic as Sasson, and I believe that one should admit that it represents accurately enough the feelings of the entire Jewish people.
King Abdullah of Jordan's letter to Muhammad V, the sultan of Morocco, May 5, 1947 (This is one of six letters exchanged between Abdullah
and the sultan of Morocco.)
Top Secret
I'm bringing you the big news that a very great Briton has asked me to convey to you - that the government of His Majesty the King of Great Britain sees in you the only one who is worthy of reigning over all of the Arab Maghreb, and that with Allah's permission, in the event of a decisive victory, he would not regard you as king of Morocco only, but would extend your sovereignty over all the Maghreb states, including Algeria and Tunisia.
Report by Bonnet, French ambassador to Washington, on May 11, 1948, on a conversation with Moshe Sharett [Shertok]
He [Shertok] announced that the Jewish Agency had decided to declare the establishment of the new Zionist state on May 15, when the Mandate expires... The resistance of the Arabs of Palestine is crushed, he said, and the Zionists, moreover, don't want an inch of land beyond the borders fixed by the United Nations. They will return Jaffa to the Arabs as soon as they are assured that it won't become a base for military operations.
French Legation in Beirut, May 11, 1948
Military, Naval and Air Attaché Intelligence Report No. 68
It appears that the resolve of the Arab states regarding the struggle over Palestine has grown stronger over the last few days.
They have suddenly realized their considerable loss of prestige in the entire world if they abandon Palestine to the Jewish enterprise after so much ranting.
They would prefer risking a military defeat rather than inaction, which they consider to be a disgrace.
All the states have decided on an extensive military effort with quick and massive action, whatever the price, against the Jewish state itself, hoping that a sudden and violent strike, using all the means available to the Arabs, would lead to a favorable outcome before the Jews, under vigorous attack in the vital areas of their territory, would have time to rally and organize themselves.
Arab military circles rely on the lack of heavy weapons (artillery, tanks) and war planes on the Jewish side, for the success of the operation.
The beginning of action is planned for May 15, and it appears that 1) the first main objective of the regular armies will be Tel Aviv itself, and 2) the Arabs have considered the aerial bombardment of this city.
The region of Tel Aviv will be the goal of the Egyptian army. (Knowing the Arabs, we can't rule out, without making any guesses, that not many of them would be prepared for a blitzkrieg.)
The following numbers can be anticipated (their reinforcement has already been studied for Egypt and Syria):
Egypt: 1 armored brigade
1 mobile infantry brigade
1 artillery regiment
3 groups of bombers
from 8,000 to 10,000 men
Iraq: 1 armored brigade
1 mobile infantry brigade
3 artillery batteries
1 aviation group
from 6,000 to 8,000 men
Transjordan: Arab Legion
