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Soldier Killed, Policemen Injured As Extremists Iaunch Reprisals for Gruner Death

April 20, 1947
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One soldier was killed and two policemen seriusly wounded today as the Jewish underground struck back at the British administration for the execution Wednesday morning of Dov Gruner and three other Jewish youths, attacks took place in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Nathanya.

Aided by the lifting of the special curfews which had been clamped down on post of Jewish Palestine immediately after the hangings, three civilians drove an marked truck up to the 61st Field Dressing station in northern Nathanya, killed a ?entry and blasted a large section of the installation.

A short time afterwards an armored car escorting a post office official through the center of Tel Aviv was struck by grenades thrown from a lurking taxi, wounding two policemen. Police guards fired on the attackers, wounding three passers?y, one mortally. Simultaneously, snipers in neighboring houses opened fire on the police.

The mortally wounded man, who died later in Hadassah hospital, had no identification papers on him, and police assume he was one of the attackers. The names of the two other wounded were given as Shneur Solderf, 33, a post office clerk, and Yesekiel ?hemesh, 18, a shop clerk. Shortly after the attack Tel Aviv was declared out of wounds for all military and police personnel, except those travelling in armored cars.

About the same time in Haifa, two military dispatch riders and a military car ?ere fired upon from a black salon car. According to the official account, there ?are no casualties. In all cases the attackers escaped.

Meanwhile, military officials are reported to have completed plans for special measures against Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa and against illegal immigration. The code terms for the operations are Stag, Triangle, Thorn, Cat and Dog.

JEWISH LEADERS ASK CLEMENCY FOR TWO DOOMED YOUTHS

Chief Rabbis Isaac Herzog and Ben Zion Usiel, Mayor Israel Rokach of Tel Aviv and the Agudas Israel organization today sent seperate petitions to High Commissioner Sir Alan G, Cunningham urging clemency for Moshe Barazani and Meir Feinstein, whese death sentences were confirmed yesterday by Palestine military commander Lt. Gen. Gordon H.A. MacMillan. The families of the condemned men were permitted to visit them in the central prison here. Later, an unconfirmed rumor said that they had been transferred to Acre Prison, where Gruner and three othere were executed Wednesday morning.

The Irgun tonight posted up placards here mourning “four brave soldiers who died on the gallows.” In Tel Aviv, a black-bordered Zionist flag was flown at half ?st over the headquarters of the Revisionist Party.

A military court sentenced two Arab members of the Najada “army” to 18 months imprisonment for illegal possession of arms. The three Jews who were hanged with runer had been convicted of the same charge.

A bomb exploded this morning in the Jaffa headquarters of the Futuwa, which is reported to have been at odds with the Najada. A delegation of the former organzation recently visited the ex-Mufti of Ueruselem in Egypt to pledge its loyalty ?o him.

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