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Refugee Vessel with 1,600 Aboard Intercepted; Report Says Vessel Founering

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The refugee ship Moledeth (Fatherland) carrying 600 visaless Jews was reported approaching Haifa tonight under British escort.

(An unconfirmed report received in New York said that the vessel had started to sink and British destroyers were taking off the passengers.)

The blockade runner was sighted off Palestine yesterday morning. It was reported lying about 50 miles off the coast with its engines stopped. It is believed to be the vanguard of a new flotilla of small refugee vessels which are expected ## now that winter storm conditions in the Mediterranean have subsided.

The return late Friday night of High Commissioner Sir Alan G. Cunningham and Lt. Gen. Gordon H.A. MacMillan, Palestine military commander, from a four-day visit to London, where they are rumored to have received new powers to curb terror and halt illegal immigration, has not been reported in the Palestine press, on ## from the censor. Also banned was all discussion of the talks they held with Cabinet officials.

However, it is rumored that military authorities are planning a new ## actions, to be called “Operation Thorn,” aimed at placing further restrictioned on inter-urban movements. No persons would be allowed to leave their place of residence without special permission of the military authorities and no visas will be granted for visits abroad, even to England, without military authorization. Other reports say that the main body of British troops will be withdrawn to new installations he ## constructed in the Negev in order to reduce the targets of terrorist action. Only small garrisons will be left at strategic points.

TERRORISTS BLAST COLONY’S WELL IN RETALIATION FOR CAPTURE OF MEMBERS

The wall of Kiryat Chaim, eight miles from Haifa, was destroyed by an explosion this morning, leaving 5,000 Jews in the vicinity without a local water supply. The blast is believed to be the work of terrorists, several of whom were captured in the settlement or the vicinity. A Jewish Agency spokesman described the explosion as “a brazen affront to the entire Yisnuv.”

Other sources have also denounced terrorism in recent days. The Rabbin## Council yesterday issued a statement declaring that the activities of the explosions were completely contrary to Jewish religions precepts and appealing to the ## ground groups to cease their activities. Speaking in Tel Aviv, Friday night, ## Goldie Meirson, head of the Jewish Agency’s political department in Jerusalem ## that “the time is not far off when the Yishuv will have to decide on more radical ##tions against the terrorists.”

One British officer was killed yesterday and a police inspector ##ed in an ambush on the ## to Aguir ###### Aviv have arrested three Jews suspected of ##

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