Page 421

and all their cities, until their need for food, water, and weapons became acute and they requested surrender in demonstrations, carrying white flags.

Another part of these targets was carried out in the Jaffa and Lydda area, at many centers that the Jews had made into forts and strongholds for attacking Arab villages and convoys and cutting their communications. These included the spirits factory near the Jewish Yeter settlement at the entrance to the Jaffa–Jerusalem road; the carpentry factory; the Harbun building on that road; the large Jewish carpentry factory near the Abu Kabir suburb at the entrance to the main Herzl Street in Tel Aviv; the large lime and brick factory in the village of Majdal al-Sadiq near the Petah Tikva settlement; the Jewish military center in the Hatkva settlement; and others. The Palestinian fighters blew up all these fortresses and lairs.

Another part of these targets was carried out in the northern region, including blowing up the large mill building near the Haifa railway station, which the Jews had turned into a fortified stronghold from which they attacked the Arabs; blowing up the Solel Boneh Company building; another Jewish fort near al-Burj School; the new Jewish center in Haifa; another Jewish military center near the Yajur settlement; and others.

Another part was carried out in the cities of Safed and Tiberias by blowing up several dangerous Jewish lairs, and the Arabs defeated the Jews in every battle they fought.

When the danger of the Jewish attack on Jerusalem and other areas of Palestine intensified, and circumstances required the rapid delivery of weapons and equipment to the Palestinian fighters, the Arab Higher Committee rented aircraft and transported weapons on them from Cairo and Damascus to Palestine. In this way, those heroic fighters who were driving the enemy from the walls of Jerusalem were able to preserve and protect it from falling into the hands of the Jewish forces and repel the enemy on the other fronts.

It is worthy of mention and thanks that the Mutawakkilite government of Yemen placed three of its aircraft at the disposal of the Arab Higher Committee for this purpose.

I must also mention and thank the young Egyptian pilot Mr. Susa for his courage and manliness. He placed his own aircraft at the disposal of the Arab Higher Committee to transport weapons and equipment to Jerusalem and personally piloted it during the most critical times, when Jerusalem was threatened with falling into the hands of the enemies.