FOUR HUNDRED AND TEN MURDERS HAVE BEEN COMMITTED IN PALESTINE SINCE JAN. 1, 1936, THE HOUSE OF COMMONS WAS INFORMED YESTERDAY BY COLONIAL SECRETARY WILLIAM ORMSBY-GORE IN REPLY TO A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS ON DISORDERS IN THE HOLY LAND.
THE COURTS RETURNED 113 CONVICTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE CRIMES, HE REVEALED, OF WHICH SEVEN WERE DEATH SENTENCES. ONE OF THE DEATH SENTENCES WAS REDUCED TO PENAL SERVITUDE BY THE COURT OF APPEALS AND FIVE OTHERS WERE COMMUTED TO LONG PRISON TERMS BY THE HIGH COMMISSIONER. FORTY-TWO PERSONS ARE STILL AWAITING TRIAL ON MURDER CHARGES, HE DISCLOSED.
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY TOM WILLIAMS, LABORITE, ON HOW MANY OF THE MURDERS WERE COMMITTED BY ARABS AND HOW MANY BY JEWS, MR. ORMSBY-GORE SAID: “IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY, THERE HAVE BEEN MURDERS BY BOTH. CERTAINLY THERE HAVE BEEN MORE MURDERS BY ARABS THAN BY JEWS.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
