Relations between the anti-terrorist groups in the Jewish community and the extremist organization, which have been rapidly deteriorating in recent months, reached a new low last night when clashes between terrorists and anti-terrorists took place in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.
The most serious incident occurred in Tel Aviv where six youths were wounded when members of the Irgun Zvai Leumi attacked adherents of the Haganah who were removing Irgun posters. A similar clash occurred a few hours earlier in Jerusalem, which was also the scene of a gun battle in which two Jews were wounded. In the Tel Aviv fracas, Yechiel Lido, 17, was injured so seriously as to require hospitalization.
Avichail Tanouri, who was kidnapped Friday night from a cafe in Petach Tikvah by several masked men, returned home this morning. He stated that he had been unconscious during all the time he was held prisoner and remembered nothing of what had transpired. Later today, leaflets signed by the "Organized Yishuv," and describing Tanouri as a "blackmailer," were distributed here. They appealed to the Jewish population "to fight gangsters and blackmailers."
The Hashomer Hatzair, left-wing anti-terrorist party, four of whose clubhouses have been attacked in the last two weeks, announced that guards had been placed on 24-hour duty around all of its headquarters. The most recent attack on a Hashomer Hatzair club occurred in Haifa yesterday, during which 20 alleged Irgunists were injured.
THREE IRGUNISTS WILL NOT BE EXECUTED UNTIL GRUNER CASE SETTLED
The three Irgun members sentenced to death last week will not be executed until some disposition is made of the case of Dov Gruner, which is now before the Privy Council, it was learned today. Dov Ben Zalman Rosenbaum, one of the three, was moved into Gruner’s cell today. Gruner was visited this morning by his sister, Mrs. Helen Friedman, and again refused to sign an appeal to the Privy Council. The other three youths have also refused to appeal.
(The Political Action Committee for Palestine today released a cable, purportedly received from Palestine via underground channels, which stated that 305 Arabs had joined the Irgun and had been assigned to its "Yeminite platoons." The cable said that after the recent eviction of Jews and Arabs in connection with the establishment of British security zones, 57 Arabs came over to the Irgun.)
Sheikh Ali Shankhin, a former mayor of Jaffa and along-time opponent of the ex-Mufti of Jerusalem, was assassinated at the door of his home in Jaffa last night by an unknown Arab. His murder is believed to be part a campaign by the Husseini forces, led by the Mufti, to terrorize their opponents.
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.
