Martial law was lifted at noon today from Tel Aviv and its environs and the large Jewish section of Jerusalem after having been in force since Mar. 2.
The signal for the end of military rule was greeted with joyous shouts and rejoicing throughout the "sealed areas." In Jerusalem thousands of men, women and children had assembled on both sides of the barbed wire barricades waiting for the sound of a whistle blast to rush toward their friends and relatives on the other side.
Although heavily armed troops on foot and in armored cars patrolled the area, the impatient crowds broke through the wire a few minutes ahead of the deadline, shouting "Shalom" and "Mazel Tov." As men and women embraced each other at the "borders," trucks began driving into the former controlled areas carrying a variety of foods, medicines and other necessities which had been in short supply for the last two weeks.
A Jewish Agency spokesman told a press conference this afternoon that the Jewish Community was still doubtful of the necessity for martial law or of its effectiveness. He said that the government still had an opportunity to calm down the country if it would consent to increased immigration. "Unless and until immigration to Palestine is allowed, we have no illusions about the continuance of bitterness and tension," he concluded.
The Haganah radio "Voice of Israel" today warned the Jews that although martial law had ended, the White Paper was still in effect. The announcer declared that the imposition of a military regime had been aimed at undermining Jewish demands for immigration and at driving a wedge between the Jews and their representative institutions. He asserted that the dissidents and the Palestine Government had one common aim — to discredit the Jewish leadership — but that the "intrigue" had not been successful.
Minutes before martial law ended in Jerusalem British soldiers carried out
Several hours after the listing of martial law, a large force of troops surrounded the Rishon Le Zica area and surnamed thousands of men. Five men from the nearby Nachlath Yehuds settlement were detained for further questioning.
An explosion late last night blew up the Jewish Agency public relations office and damaged the building in which it was located. There were no casualties because no one was in the office. Only minor damage resulted to other offices in the building. Responsible Jewish circles do not believe that the time bomb was set by members of the dissident groups, although British news reports refer to it as a terrorist bombing.
IRGUN CHARGES BRITISH RESPONSIBLE FOR BLASTING AGENCY OFFICE
The Irgun this morning sent statements to the Jewish press charging the British with responsibility for the action. Richard Stubbs, government press officer, answering the charge, said: "This is an incredible suggestion. The Palestine Government fights terror, it doesn’t create it." A Jewish Agency spoksman said that there is no evidence to associate anyone with the explosion.
In clandestine radio broadcast the Stern Group announced tonight that it had nothing to do with the blowing up of the public relations office. It admitted responsibility for a number of recent attacks and bombings throughout the country and said that it had executed 16-year-old Michael Schnell as a "traitor and an informer." Schnell was found dead in a cave near Haifa about two weeks ago.
Moshe Barasahai, a Stemist who was captured last week in the controlled area of Jerusalem with a hand granads in his possession, was today condemned to death by a British military court, Barazahai refused to participate in the court proceedings.
The Starnists meanwhile appealed to the members of the Jewish Agency executive, meeting in a plenary session here, to cooperate with them. The dissident group asked a merger of all Jewish forces in Palestine "not because we are weak, not because national discipline is superior to all considerations, but because it is more efficient for our common struggle. We call on the Agency to show at last a minimun of resistance."
The executive meeting today completed its discussion of the present situation in the country and will consider the other points on its agenda tomorrow. The meetings are secret and no further details have been released.
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.
