The rigid curfew which had been in effect in the Aviv area since the imposition of martial law yesterday was lifted at 5 a.m. this morning, but a feeling of apprehension pervaded the city. In Jerusalem, the curfew in the Jewish quarters, which are also under martial law, was raised for a three-hour period from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to permit the inhabitants to purchase food.
At noon Maj. Gen. R.N. Gale, commander of the Tel Aviv area, issued proclamation placing the administration of the city in the hands of the army and closing all government offices and courts. Military courts have been established. The mayor and the municipality will continue to operate in “cooperation” with the military.
The proclamation also stated that no vehicular traffic, except for food and fuel trucks, ambulances and fire engines, would be permitted. Restaurants, hotels and cinemas were ordered closed after 10 p.m. Gale was authorized to remove any person from the area at his discretion.
A second “curfew violator” was killed, in Tel Aviv, today when a military patrol shot Isaac Poli, 30. Poli, who was riding on a bicycle, halted and dismounted when challenged by the patrol. However, the soldiers opened fire. Later, they asserted that he had failed to halt. In Petach Tikvah, Bezalel Mizrachi, a 16-year-old youth, was seriously wounded when he leaned out of the window of his home and a patrol fired upon him.
In Jerusalem, a military board inquiring into the fatal shooting of four-year-old Ketti Shalom yesterday announced that the child was killed by stray bullets fired at her father who was said to have left his house. Kettie and her mother, who was also wounded, were standing on a balcony of their home when the bullets, allegedly fired at her father on the street level, hit her. No mention was made of any bullets striking the father.
“MILITARY TREATS US LIKE BASTARDS,” TEL AVIV MAYOR COMPLAINS
A strong protest against the military’s treatment of the Jewish population in Tel Aviv was voiced today by Mayor Israel Rokach at a session of the municipal council. “The military is treating us like bastards,” he said. “The authorities claim that the action is not punitive, but we feel it is punitive. They say that eighty percent of the population is not guilty, so why are we all punished for twenty percent?” The Tel Aviv mayor described the food situation in the city as inadequate.
Following the lifting of the curfew in the Tel Aviv area, bus service between the city and Petach Tikvah was resumed between the hours of 6-8 a.m. and 6-8 p.m. All riders were required to show military passes which were issued only to those who offered an important reason for the trip.
Banks and stores were open this morning, but only the food shops were busy, since people feared to leave their homes except for necessities. The schools were almost empty as mothers kept their children indoors. Because of the general disruption all Hebrew newspapers published only one-sheet bulletins instead of the usual full editions.
NARTIAL LAW WOULD SPELL ECONOMIC DISASTER TO JEWS, ARMY COMMANDER SAYS
Gen. Gale told newsmen today that continued imposition of martial law would “inevitably spell economic disaster” to the community. He said “business is going to be hamstrung” but balled attention to the “loss of life as a result of terrorist activity.” He asserted that his subordinate commanders had orders to be lax with the Jews in areas where there is “cooperation,” but that where “obstruction or resistance” is met there will be “no nonsense.”
Jewish circles pointed out that the restrictive regulations in effect in the rich citrus growing Sharon district would very shortly lead to spoilage of a large part of the crop and a serious loss of revenue to the industry. The effect on “austerity” ridden Englishmen will be substantial, it was asserted, since the entire crop was destined for Britain and 2,000,000 cases of fruit were scheduled to be shipped during the next fortnight.
The Jewish National Council was making all possible efforts today to dispatch food to the Tel Aviv area. In Jewish settlements throughout the country trucks loaded with food were awaiting an opportunity to enter Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, military headquarters announced that “martial law operations will continue until the authorities are satisfied that a reasonable number of evil doers has been apprehended.” Addressing a meeting of officers at British military headquarters here, Lt. Gen. G.H.A. MacMillan, military commander of Palestine, declared that the word “terrorist” would be banned from the vocabulary of the British Army in Palestine. Terrorists will be referred to henceforth as “murderera, felons and common thuge,” he ordered.
JEWISH AGENCY URGES LEADERS IN U.S. TO SEEK LIFTING OF MARTIAL LAW
It was learned today that members of the Jewish Agency here urged the Agency leaders in Washington and in London to undertake steps to secure the lifting of martial law.
Following the temporary raising of the curfew in the Meah Shearim section of Jerusalem, Gen. S. B. Davis, Jerusalem commander, took a party of correspondents on a tour of the area. The Jews complained of lack of food, water, milk and medicines.
Burial societies were given permission to carry out internments with a small number of mourners in attendance. Gen. Davis also said that licensed pharmacies and food shops would be permitted to remain open and that several small clinics would not be closed. All police stations in the area were about down.
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.
