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31 Jewish Youths Arrested in Palestine; Rabbi Shot in Jerusalem

September 5, 1937
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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A RABBI RETURNING FROM PRAYERS AT THE WAILING WALL WAS SHOT IN THE BACK TODAY AS POLICE CARRIED ON A WHOLESALE ROUNDUP OF JEWISH YOUTHS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TERRORIST CAMPAIGN THAT HAS SWEPT PALESTINE ALL WEEK. THE RABBI, ELEAZAR GERSHTEIN, WAS TAKEN TO HADASSAH HOSPITAL, SERIOUSLY WOUNDED.

THIRTY-ONE YOUNG JEWS HAVE SO FAR BEEN SENTENCED TO THE CONCENTRATION CAMP AT ACRE IN A GOVERNMENT DRIVE AGAINST THE WAVE OF VIOLENCE WHICH HAS BROUGHT DEATH TO THREE JEWS AND NINE ARABS IN FOUR DAYS. MANY OF THE JEWS UNDER ARREST ARE MEMBERS OF THE NEW ZIONIST ORGANIZATION. SO FAR EIGHT ZIONIST-REVISIONISTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IN JERUSALEM, SIX IN TEL AVIV AND SEVENTEEN IN KARKUR AND GEDERA.

AMONG THE PRISONERS TAKEN IN TEL AVIV WERE MENACHEM ARBER, HEAD OF BRITH HECHAYIL, REVISIONIST SEMI-MILITARY ORGANIZATION, AND AKIBA BROUN, HEAD OF THE REVISIONIST NATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION. THE ACRE CONCENTRATION CAMP TO WHICH THEY WERE SENT ALREADY HAS A NUMBER OF ARAB PRISONERS ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH TERRORIST OUTBREAKS.

THREE OF THOSE ARRESTED IN JERUSALEM WERE SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR AT ACRE. THE TEL AVIV PRISONERS WERE SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS, AND THE OTHERS FOR TWELVE DAYS. ALL SENTENCES WERE IMPOSED BY ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER UNDER THE PREVENTION OF CRIME ORDINANCE.

THE ARRESTS WERE CONTINUING, WITH POLICE SEARCHING FOR SUSPECTS IN HEDERA AND KVUTZAT-GORDONIA, JEWISH COLONIES.

INTO THE MIDST OF THE PALESTINE CRISIS THERE FELL RELIABLE REPORTS OF TENSION BETWEEN THE NEARBY ARAB STATES OF TRANSJORDAN AND SAUDI ARABIA, WITH KING IBN SAUD REPORTED TO BE MOBILIZING ARAB TRIBES UNDER ORDERS TO BE READY FOR ACTION AND AWAIT HIS COMMANDS.

HIGH COMMISSIONER SIR ARTHUR GRENFELL WAUCHOPE, IS DEPARTING FOR LONDON TOMORROW FOR A TWO-MONTH LEAVE OF ABSENCE. WILLIAM D. BATTERSHILL, CHIEF SECRETARY OF THE PALESTINE GOVERNMENT, WILL BE ACTING HIGH COMMISSIONER.

GRAND MUFTI HAJ AMIN EL HUSSEINI HAS SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH A LARGE BODY GUARD BY THE USE OF A SUBTERFUGE, IT WAS REPORTED. ANNOUNCING THAT THE MOSQUE OF EL AKSA NEEDED REPAIRS, THE MUFTI HIRED MANY ARAB WORKERS. THE DAMAGES IN THE MOSQUE, HOWEVER, WERE IMAGINARY, IT WAS SAID, THE REAL PURPOSE FOR WHICH THE MEN WERE ENGAGED BEING TO PROVIDE THE MUFTI, WHOSE OFFICE IS RELIGIOUS AND WHO RECEIVES A SALARY FROM THE PALESTINE GOVERNMENT, WITH A COMPACT PRIVATE ARMY.

ARAB CHRISTIANS, WHO IN THE PAST HAVE COLLABORATED WITH THE MOSLEMS IN OPPOSITION TO ZIONISM, ARE SENDING A DELEGATION TO EUROPE TO DISCUSS PALESTINE PROBLEMS WITH GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH CIRCLES IN THE BALKAN STATES, IT WAS DISCLOSED. ON ITS WAY THE DELEGATION WILL VISIT DAMASCUS, SYRIA, NOW A CENTER OF ANTI-JEWISH AND ANTI-BRITISH AGITATION.

A SIGN OF A POSSIBLE TRUCE IN A LONG-STANDING FEUD WITHIN ZIONIST RANKS APPEARED TODAY. THE JEWISH NATIONAL COUNCIL INVITED TWO SPOKESMEN OF THE NEW ZIONIST ORGANIZATION TO DISCUSS THE PRESENT SITUATION.

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