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Kitbags on their shoulders – British soldiers leaving the country, May, 1948
worst possible scenario was to leave the city and abandon its holy places while battles
were going on all around. With all his might he had sought to avoid such a situation, but
was not successful. It might have been possible to separate Jerusalem from the rest of the
country, and from the battles raging in its other areas. Perhaps if peace had been achieved
in Jerusalem, it could have radiated tranquility over the other parts of the country. He
was not alone in this belief. In any event, he had made every possible effort to achieve
a truce in the holy city. When it became apparent that the Consular Committee created
to oversee a ceasefire was not succeeding in its mission, he had invited the secretary of
the Arab League, Azzam Pasha, to a meeting in Jericho, to clarify terms for a truce in
Jerusalem. This had been a success: the Arabs gave the order for an immediate ceasefire
in Jerusalem, and it was honored by the Jews, too. Afterwards he heard that the Jews
resented him for having done this; it seemed that he had come to an agreement with the
Arabs and then forced the agreement on the Jews. But the Jews were wrong: all along
they had argued that if the Arabs would stop shooting, they would stop too. And so he
had achieved a ceasefire on the part of the Arabs. He had also reached an agreement with
the Arabs over conditions which, to the best of his understanding, would also meet all
the Jewish demands: ensuring supplies to the Jewish community of Jerusalem, which was
now altogether isolated; protecting the lives of the Jews in general and the residents of
the Old City in particular; each community would rule in its own area and not impose its
162 The Friday That Changed Destiny
worst possible scenario was to leave the city and abandon its holy places while battles
were going on all around. With all his might he had sought to avoid such a situation, but
was not successful. It might have been possible to separate Jerusalem from the rest of the
country, and from the battles raging in its other areas. Perhaps if peace had been achieved
in Jerusalem, it could have radiated tranquility over the other parts of the country. He
was not alone in this belief. In any event, he had made every possible effort to achieve
a truce in the holy city. When it became apparent that the Consular Committee created
to oversee a ceasefire was not succeeding in its mission, he had invited the secretary of
the Arab League, Azzam Pasha, to a meeting in Jericho, to clarify terms for a truce in
Jerusalem. This had been a success: the Arabs gave the order for an immediate ceasefire
in Jerusalem, and it was honored by the Jews, too. Afterwards he heard that the Jews
resented him for having done this; it seemed that he had come to an agreement with the
Arabs and then forced the agreement on the Jews. But the Jews were wrong: all along
they had argued that if the Arabs would stop shooting, they would stop too. And so he
had achieved a ceasefire on the part of the Arabs. He had also reached an agreement with
the Arabs over conditions which, to the best of his understanding, would also meet all
the Jewish demands: ensuring supplies to the Jewish community of Jerusalem, which was
now altogether isolated; protecting the lives of the Jews in general and the residents of
the Old City in particular; each community would rule in its own area and not impose its
162 The Friday That Changed Destiny
