Exodus - Leon Uris [279]
“I have received a message from his Holiness, the Mufti in Damascus,” Kawukji said. “On May 15, the day after the British terminate the mandate, Haj Amin el Husseini will make a triumphant return to Palestine.”
“And what a magnificent day that shall be for all of Islam,” Mohammed Kassi nodded.
“His Holiness has selected Safed as his temporary capital until the Zionists are completely exterminated. Now that the dear friend of the Jews, Major Hawks, is gone from Safed, we will have it within a week.”
“I am delighted to hear such news!”
“However,” Kawukji continued, “Safed will not be truly safe and fit for the return of his Holiness so long as a single Jew remains in the Huleh Valley. They hold a dagger in our backs. We must erase them.”
Mohammed Kassi turned slightly pale.
“The Huleh, I believe, is in your command, my brother. I want you to capture Gan Dafna at once. As soon as Gan Dafna falls we will have the rest of the Huleh Zionists by the throat.
“Generalissimo, let me assure you that each and every one of my volunteers is a man filled with the courage of a lion and is dedicated to the noble cause of crushing Zionism. They have all vowed to fight to the last drop of blood.”
“Good. They are costing us almost a dollar a month in pay alone.”
Kassi stroked his beard and held up his forefinger with its large jeweled ring. “However! It is well known that Major Hawks left three thousand rifles, a hundred machine guns, and dozens of heavy mortars at Gan Dafna!”
Kawukji sprang to his feet.
“You cringe before children!”
“I swear by Allah’s beard that the Jews have sent in a thousand Palmach reinforcements. I have seen them with my own eyes.”
Kawukji slapped Mohammed Kassi twice across the face. “You will lay open Gan Dafna, you will level it to the ground, and you will wash your hands in their blood or I will set your carcass out for the vultures!”
Chapter Five
MOHAMMED KASSI’S FIRST MOVE was to send a hundred of his men into Abu Yesha. Immediately some of the villagers went down to kibbutz Ein Or to report the fact to Ari. Ari knew that the people of Abu Yesha were predominantly with the Jews. He waited for them to act.
The Arabs of Abu Yesha resented the presence of the irregulars. They had been neighbors of the people of Yad El for decades; their homes had been built by the Jews. They were not angry and had no desire to fight and they looked to Taha, their muktar, to rally them and eject Kassi’s men.
Taha kept a strange silence, speaking neither for nor against the coming of the irregulars. When the elders of Abu Yesha urged him to unite the people, Taha refused to discuss the matter. His silence sealed the fate of Abu Yesha, for the fellaheen were helpless without leadership. They quietly submitted to the occupation.
Kassi was quick to capitalize on Taha’s passive acquiescence. Day by day his men became bolder and more unruly as Taha continued his silence. The road to Gan Dafna was cut. There was anger in Abu Yesha but it was no more than grumbling on an individual level. Then four Abu Yesha Arabs were caught by the irregulars running food up to Gan Dafna. Kassi had them killed, decapitated, and their heads put on display in the village square as a warning. From that point on Abu Yesha was completely subdued.
Ari had guessed wrong. He had felt sure that the people of Abu Yesha would force Taha to take a stand, especially with the safety of Gan Dafna at stake. Their failure to act and the closing of the road put him in a terrible position.
The road shut, Kassi’s ponderous mountain guns began an around-the-clock shelling of Gan Dafna from Fort Esther.
The Jews had trained for this sort of thing at Gan Dafna from the day the place was opened. Everyone knew his job. They switched onto emergency footing quickly and quietly.
All children over the age of ten were assigned to an active part in the village defense. The water tank had been sandbagged and the power generators, medical supplies, arsenal, and food stores had been installed underground.
Life went on as