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Strike Fizzies out in Day of Sporadic Violence; 20 Jews Killed During Outbreaks

December 5, 1947
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Minor flare-ups, but no large-scale violence such occurred yesterday and Tuesday, marked the third day of the Arab general strike protest partition, which ended at midnight.

The casualty toll during the outbreaks was unofficially estimated tonight 20 Jews and 15 Arabs killed and more than 100 persons wounded. The Jerusalem ##ber of Commerce reported that damage exceeding $4,000,000 had been inflicted Jewish property in the sections pillaged by Arab mobs. An official said that ## 15 of the looted shops were insured.

The Arab Higher Committee this afternoon called off the scheduled demonstrations for tomorrow, which were to have climaxed the strike. Instead special prayers will be recited in all mosques. Despite the announcement, the Haganah has taken ##ous measures to safeguard Jewish property and life. It is understood to have ##ided Jerusalem into 10 zones, each commanded by a Haganah officer with mobile ##ts at his disposal which can be rushed to trouble spots. All Palestine police ## also been ordered to stand by for 24 hours beginning at dawn tomorrow.

JEWISH AUTHORITIES BELIEVE GOVT, WILL TAKE STEPS TO KEEP FUTURE PEACE

An Agency spokesman, commenting today on the conferences yesterday between {SPAN}##{/SPAN} Henry L. Gurey, Chief Secretary of the Palestine Goverment, and Goldie {SPAN}##rson,{/SPAN} Jewish Agency political officer here, and Isaac Ben Zvi, president of the Jewish National Council, said that both Jewish leaders had obtained the impression {SPAN}##{/SPAN} at there was “solid ground to believe that in the future the authorities will {SPAN}##intain law and order.”{/SPAN}There were minor incidents in Jerusalem today after the curfew on the Arab {SPAN}##arter{/SPAN} was lifted, although the city was generally quiet. Three Arabs were wounded {SPAN}##{/SPAN} the Old City in an exchange of shots with the Haganah. Arab snipers fired from {SPAN}##oftops on persons in the Jewish quarter and several grenades were thrown. The ##ganah took up strongly fortified positions to cope with serious violence, but ##or the time being was not launching any counter-attacks.{/SPAN}A Jewish convoy returning after dusk from the Jerusalem suburb of Talpioth, here it had distributed food, was attacked by bomb-throwing Arabs, three of whom are injured by the truck drivers. A Jewish child of six was slightly wounded. {SPAN}##{/SPAN} unidentified Jew was killed tonight in the suburb of Upper Baka.

A convoy of Jewish buses, trucks and taxis led by and armored car, which was proceeding from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, was attacked by an Arab mob while passing ## Several passengers were injured before the Haganah guards drove off the attackers.

It was learned this morning that four members of the Haganah armed with Sten Guns and a quantity of ammunition were arrested here by British police last night after three Arab policemen charged that they had been fired at. The Haganah

A strong Arab band late this afternoon attempted to storm the Jewish settlement of Kfar Azar, near Ramat Gan, but were driven off by Haganah reinforcements ## arrived shortly after the attack was launched. A similar attack was made on ##awin, a colony for veterans adjoining Tel Aviv, but it was also beaten off.

MINOR STREET FIGHTING FLARES UP IN TEL AVIV-JAFFA AREA; ONE ARAB KILLED

Small-scale street fighting flared up briefly again this morning in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa border area, which was still under curfew, when Arab rioters sought to {SPAN}##{/SPAN} houses of evacuated Jews. One Arab was reported to have been killed. A Jew, {SPAN}##{/SPAN} Levi, a worker in concrete brick kiln outside the curfew area, was shot dead {SPAN}##{/SPAN} British policeman. Several of those wounded in yesterday’s clashes report {SPAN}##{/SPAN} British police not only refused to halt the Arab violence, but in some cases {SPAN}##ned{/SPAN} in, shouting to Jews: “You wanted a Jewish state. Now take it.” Three Arabs {SPAN}##{/SPAN} 10 Jews were arrested for breaking the curfew.

A car taking Air France passengers from Tel Aviv to Lydda Airport was attacked ## the Arab village of Yehudia, in the vicinity of Petach Tikvah, resulting in the ##nding of one passenger. A military escort which had been accompanying the taxi disappeared a few minutes before the attack. Vehicles carrying Norwegian Air Line ## U.S. Trans-World airline passengers were also attacked. A Jewish woman was seriously injured when a bus was attacked on the Petach Tikvah-Wilhemina road.

VAAD LEUMI ASKS ARABS TO COOPERATE; WARNS THEY WILL SUFFER IF VIOLENCE OCCURS

The Jewish National Council today publicly appealed to the Arabs for friendship and cooperation and coupled the plea with a blunt warning that if Arab attacks {SPAN}##sisted, the Jews would take matters into their own hands. “Remember,” the Jewish plea admonished, “that during the four years of disturbances (1936-40) the member of Arabs killed by Arabs exceeded the number of Jews killed by Arabs.{/SPAN}”It is not from weakness that the Jews are addressing you. It must be servious to you that if acts of murder and pillage are not stopped by the Govrenment {SPAN}##{/SPAN} by you yourself, the Jews will take the situation into their own hands and you {SPAN}##{/SPAN} the strength of the Yishuv (Jewish community) in self-defense. The Jews {SPAN}##{/SPAN} preparing to build their state within the boundaries assigned to them by the United Nations on the basis of economic cooperation and full, sincere friendship. they have no desire for destruction but for constructive work.”

A plea to the Arabs of Haifa to refrain from violence was issued last night ## a prominent Arab leader Rashid Haji Brahmin, who recently returned from a conference with the Mufti at his headquarters in Syria. This evening loud speakers ## Jaffa announced to the populace that the strike was over and urged shops to re##.

The muktars of the Arab villages of Lifta Deir Yassin and Ein Karim, near ##rusalem, last night came to the Machne Yehuda police station and protested that they have been warned by several alleged Irgunists that if they join in the violence against Jews their houses would be blown up within 24 hours.A government communique this evening said that 30 armed Jews this morning entered an orange grove in the Arab village of El Kheirya, in the Jaffa sub-district,

HAGANAH REPLIES TO DISSIDENTS’ UNITY BID WITH SUGGESTION THEY DISSOLVE

The Haganah replied today to unity pleas circulated by the Irgun Zwai Leumi {SPAN}##{/SPAN} the Stern Group, by insisting that the only way to unity lay in dissolution {SPAN}##{/SPAN} the two groups and the unconditional adherence of their membership to the Haganah. {SPAN}##{/SPAN} can only be one force within the State,” the Haganah reply declared. “No state {SPAN}##{/SPAN} tolerate two separate armed forces.”

It is learned that many Arab delegations today came to the headquarters of the ##ti’s Palestine Arab Party demanding arms, but were told by Emil Ghouri, a member ## the Arab Higher Committee, that no instructions had been received from the Mufti ## that arms would be distributed when the time for attack came. Ghouri indicated ## would be when the U.N. Implementation Commission arrived.

The Haganah, meanwhile, learned from Arab sources that the Higher Committee ##ght a large amount of illegal arms on Nov. 22 from a British officer and sergeant ## an army camp near Asluj, in the Negev. The Britons are reported to have been paid $15,300. The arms were taken in army trucks to the Arab village of Abu Sess.

ABDULLAH TELLS ARAB LEAGUE STATES HE DESIRES PEACE IN PALESTINE

A report from Amman, capital of Transjordan, says that King Abdullah has {SPAN}##tified the rulers of all Arab states in the Middle East, through Abdul Rahman ##em Pasha, secretary general of the Arab League, that he desires to see peace maintained in Palestine. Meanwhile, life in Amman has returned to normal following the end of the three-day strike which coincided with the Palestine demonstrations.{/SPAN}Dispatches from Cairo and Baghdad received here stated that Arab demonstrators {SPAN}##ioted{/SPAN} in Egypt and Iraq today and invaded American and British official premises. {SPAN}##{/SPAN} Baghdad, the American Information Office, attached to the embassy, was stormed {SPAN}##{/SPAN} a mob which burned files and documents and damaged the interior of the building. {SPAN}##{/SPAN} British kindergarten was completely wrecked, but the children were rescued by police.

The Iraq Minister of the Interior appealed to the demonstrators to halt their agitation and let the government take its own action against the U.N. decision to partition Palestine.

In Cairo, student mobs attempted to raid the American University but were turned back by police who fired over their heads. In Alexandria 5,000 rioters attempted to storm the British consulate but were held off by a barricade of street cars and trucks erected by the police who eventually dispersed the mob after repeated club charges.

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