 In the middle of May , the situation for the 50 @,@ 000 Arab inhabitants of the city and the 30 @,@ 000 – 40 @,@ 000 in the outlying neighbourhoods was no better . After the massacre at Deir Yassin and the Jewish offensive of April that triggered the large @-@ scale exodus of the Palestinian Arabs in other mixed cities , the Arab population of Jerusalem was frightened and feared for its fate . With the departure of the British on 14 May , the Haganah launched several operations to take control of the city and the local Arab leadership requested King Abdullah of Jordan to deploy his army to come to their aid . 
