“Hawks may nave his heart in the right place but his own
471
commanders are tying his hands,” Sutherland said.
“The Arabs have already started sniping at us and are attacking our convoys,” Remez said.
“So … ? Are you now going to run at the first shot?”
“Ari.” Remez looked at him levelly. “I was born in Safed. I have lived there all my life. Even to this day I can still hear the chanting from the Arab quarters that we heard in 1929. We didn’t know what it meant until we saw those crazed mobs pouring into our sector. They were our friends-but they were insane. I can see those pitiful Cabalists being dragged into the streets to have their heads cut off. I was only a boy then. We heard the Arabs chanting again in 1936 … we knew what it meant that time. For three years we ran and cowed in the old Turkish fort every time a loud noise came from the Arab section. We want to stay this time. We aren’t going to run again. Not even the old ones. This time they won’t have it easy, believe me… but, Ari, there is a limit to what can be asked of us.”
Ari regretted having spoken sharply to Remez. Yes, the decision to remain in Safed took tremendous courage. “Go on back, Remez. Try to keep things calm. You can count on Major Hawks to keep it from getting out of control. In the meantime I’ll give you a priority on everything I get.”
When they were gone Ari sat down and gritted his teeth. What could he do? Perhaps he would be able to send fifty Palmach troops when the British left. It was little better than nothing. What could anyone do? There were two hundred Safeds all over Palestine. Fifty men here, ten men there. If Kawukji, Safwat and Kadar knew how desperate the situation was they would be making frontal assaults all over Palestine. There just wasn’t enough ammunition to stop sustained and determined attacks. Ari feared that the first time the Arabs tried one and learned how meager the Jews’ arms were, it would become a stampede.
David Ben Ami came in from an inspection tour of the northernmost settlements.
“Shalom, Ari,” David said. “I met Remez and Sutherland on the road. Remez looks a little green around the gills.”
“He has plenty of reason. Well, did you find anything interesting?”
“The Arabs have started sniping at Kfar Giladi and Metulla. Kfar Szold fears the Syrian villagers may try something. Everyone is dug in, all defenses built around the children’s houses. They all want arms.”
“Arms … what else is new? Where is the sniping coming from?”
“Aata.”
“Good old Aata,” Ari said. “When the British leave it’s 472
going to be my first objective. When I was a boy they tried beating me up when I went to get the grain milled. They’ve been looking for a fight ever since. It is my guess that half of Kawukji’s men are crossing over through Aata.”
“Or Abu Yesha,” David said.
Ari looked up angrily. David knew it was a sore point.
“I have reliable friends in Abu Yesha,” Ari said.
“Then they must have told you the irregulars are infiltrating through there.”
Ari did not answer.
“Ari, many times you have told me that my weakness is allowing sentiment to cloud my judgment. I know how close you are to those people, but you’ve got to go up there and make the muktar understand.”
Ari got up and walked away. “I’ll have to talk to Taha.”
David picked up the dispatches from Ari’s desk, scanned them, and dropped them. He paced beside Ari, then stood looking out of the window in the direction of Jerusalem. A wave of moroseness washed over him.
Ari slapped him on the shoulder. “It will work out.”
David shook his head slowly. “Things are getting desperate in Jerusalem,” he said in a doleful monotone. “The convoys are having more and more trouble getting through. If this keeps up they will be starving in another few weeks.”
Ari knew how the siege of his beloved city was affecting David. “You want to go to Jerusalem, don’t you?”
“Yes,” David said, “but I don’t want to let you down.”
“If you must, of course I’ll relieve you.”
“Thanks, Ari. Will you be able to manage?”
“Sure … as soon as this damned leg stops acting up. See here, David … I don’t want you to leave.”
“I’ll stay until you are fit.”
“Thanks. By the way, how long since you’ve seen Jordana?”
“Weeks.”
“Why don’t you go up to Gan Dafna tomorrow and look over the situation? Stay up there a few days and take a real good look.”
David smiled. “You have such a nice way of persuasion.”
There was a knock on the door of Kitty’s office.
“Come in,” she said.
Jordana Ben Canaan entered. “I would like a word with you if you are not too busy, Mrs. Fremont.”
“Very well.”
“David Ben Ami is going to come up and inspect the defenses this morning. We would like to have a staff meeting afterwards.”
“I’ll be there,” Kitty said.
“Mrs. Fremont. I want to speak to you before the meeting. As you know, I am the commander here and in the future you and I will have to work in close cooperation. I wish to express the opinion that I have complete confidence in you. In fact, I consider it fortunate for Gan Dafna that .you are here.”
Kitty looked at Jordana curiously.
“I believe,” Jordana continued, “that it would be good for the morale of the entire village if we set our personal feelings aside.”
“I believe you are right.”
“Good. I am glad we have an understanding.”
“Jordana … just what is our situation here?”
“We are not in too much immediate danger. Of course, we will all feel better about things when Fort Esther is turned, over to the Haganah.”
“Suppose something goes wrong and the Arabs get Fort Esther? And … suppose the road through Abu Yesha is , closed.”
“Then the prospects become very unpleasant.”
Kitty arose and paced the room slowly. “Please understand that I don’t want to interfere in military matters, but looking at it realistically-we may fall under siege.”
“There is that possibility,” Jordana said.
“We have many babies here. Can’t we talk over plans to evacuate them and some of the younger children?”
“Where shall we evacuate them to?”
“I don’t know. A safer kibbutz or moshav.”
“I don’t know either, Mrs. Fremont. A ‘safer kibbutz’ is merely a term of relativity. Palestine is less than fifty miles wide. We have no safe kibbutz. New settlements are falling under siege every day.”
“Then perhaps we can get them to the cities.”
“Jerusalem is almost cut off. The fighting in Haifa and between Tel Aviv and Jaffa is the most severe in Palestine.”
“Then … there is no place?”
Jordana did not answer. She did not have to.
CHAPTER THREE
CHRISTMAS EVE, 1947
The ground was sticky with mud and the air was crisp and the first snow of the winter floated down on Gan Dafna. Kitty walked quickly over the green toward the lane of cottages. Her breath formed little clouds. 474
“Shalom, Giveret Kitty,” Dr. Lieberman called.
“Shalom, Doctor.”
She raced up the steps and into the cottage, where it was warm and Karen had a steaming cup of tea waiting.
“Brrr,” Kitty said, “it’s freezing outside.” The room was cheerful. Karen had decorated it with pine cones, ribbons, and imagination. She had even got permission to cut down one of the precious little trees, which she had filled with tufts of raw cotton and paper cutouts.
Kitty sat down on the bed, kicked off her shoes, and put on a pair of fur-lined slippers. The tea tasted wonderful.
Karen stood by. the picture window and watched the snow fall. “I think that the first snow falling is the most beautiful thing in the world,” Karen said.
“You won’t think it’s so beautiful if the fuel ration gets any worse.”