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Despite all the measures and procedures adopted to exclude the Palestinians from the battlefield and deprive them of weapons and financial aid, the Holy War Army remained in its positions for many months, confronting the enemies in various Palestinian regions. I now have numerous reports from the commanders Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, commander of the Holy War Army; Hasan Salama, commander of the central Jaffa-Lydda-Ramle area and its surroundings; Sheikh Tawfiq Ibrahim, commander of the Nazareth-Tiberias-Marj Ibn Amir area; Muhammad al-Hamdi al-Hunayti, commander of Haifa and its region; and others. They describe the favorable condition of the Palestinian forces and call for more support in weapons, equipment, and the expenses necessary to preserve this superior position.

Information about the military situation in the battle areas reached us day and night without interruption through the wireless devices that we purchased and supplied to the mujahideen leaders in Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, Gaza, and Nazareth, and to the offices of the Committee in Jerusalem, Damascus, Beirut, Cairo, Marsa Matruh, and elsewhere. Among these were two telegrams we received from Jerusalem dated 17 May 1948, informing us that the Jews in Jerusalem’s Old City had requested surrender through the custodian of the holy lands’ properties. The Arab command set the conditions, and the Jews accepted them. They were the same as the conditions for the surrender of the Jewish Kfar Etzion garrison (1), namely:

1. Surrender all weapons.

2. Surrender all men as prisoners of war.

3. Surrender women and children to the Red Cross Society.

But the Jews broke their promise, so fighting resumed and heavy artillery shelled the Jewish neighborhoods. Commander Ibrahim Abu Daya (2) was shelling Jewish positions in Qatamon and the Ramat Rahel settlement and advancing with the help of the fighters from the village of Sur Bahir.

The telegram added that the Belgian consul in Jerusalem was negotiating with the Arab side for the surrender of the Jews in the Old City.

The telegram further stated that the ammunition we had sent from Cairo by plane had arrived at the right time and that the large aircraft cargo revived hopes. It pressed for five aircraft loads to be sent the following day to win the battle, along with the remaining field guns and their ammunition, Mills bombs, and large quantities of mortar shells.

The telegram then added that the Belgian consul in Jerusalem was now negotiating with the Arab fighters’ command to accept the surrender of the Jews in the Old City. At that time I was in Damascus. The Syrian consul in Jerusalem, acting on behalf of the diplomatic missions there, met me and informed me of the Jews’ desire to surrender and that he had come to Damascus specifically to discuss the matter.

(1) Kfar Etzion: A Jewish settlement in a strategic area controlling the Jerusalem-Bethlehem-Hebron road.

(2) Ibrahim Abu Daya: 1919–1950, from Surif near Hebron, a fighter and commander of a Holy War Army group. He participated in the 1936–1939 revolt and the 1947–1948 battles, especially the famous al-Qastal battle.