Search JTA's historical archive dating back to 1923

News Brief

December 8, 1947
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
Advertisement

As flames from fires set by Jews in Arab homes business establishments lit the night skies above Jaffa and Jerusalem tonight, apital city faced the threat of an imminent food shortage. At the same time the Jews and the Arabs appeared to be mobilizing their forces in apparent ex##tion of the spread and intensification of violence which has held sway in the ##ry since early last week.

Although it was too early to gain an accurate estimate of casualties, at ## three Jews and one Arab died by gunfire and bombs today, and more than a score ## wounded in various actions. This brought the total of known dead this week-end ##welve Jews and five Arabs, with several more Arabs believed killed, and several ## wounded.

The “no man’s land” between Tel Aviv and Jaffa continued to be a battle and as night fell. In this area the shooting has hardly halted for more than a ## hours during recent days. All last night automatic weapons fire and grenade ##rages were exchanged by Jews and Arabs and the quiet which fell several hours be## dawn was dissipated early this morning when Arab snipers on rooftops in the ##der districts opened fire.

TRANSPORTATION DISRUPTED; JERUSALEM’S FOOD SUPPLIES THREATENED

BEN GURION. ARAB LEADER CONFER WITH HIGH COMMISSIONER

At noon today Jewish Agency chairman David Ben Gurion called on High Commissioner Sir Alan G. Cunningham to discuss the security situation. Ben Gurion {SPAN}##ifically protested an attack by British forces yesterday a Haganah guard post ##the Beth Jacob district of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa fighting area, during which a Brit## officer shot and killed the post commander, Jacob Shiff. Yesterday, Ben Gurion ##discussed the same matter with the Tel Aviv police chief. After Ben Gurion left, ##ingham received Dr. Hussein Khalidi, secretary of the Arab Higher Committee, and ##ussed the projected British evacuation from Palestine.{/SPAN}The repeated British attacks on the Haganah and the indiscriminate fire of {SPAN}##tish{/SPAN} patrols which has been responsible for several Jewish deaths, brought the {SPAN}##n{/SPAN} Group officially into the fray for the first time this week-end when it {SPAN}##eatened to avenge the British killings of Jews. On the heels of yesterday’s ## by the Irgun on the Arab village of Abu Kebir, near Jaffa, the organization ##ay threatened to wipe out the “killers in their lair” during a clandestine broad##t. The announcer also threatened those Britons who were supporting the Arabs.{/SPAN}A Jew was found stabbed to death in Jaffa today. His body was found near a {SPAN}##que.{/SPAN} In a nearby district Jews attacked three Arabs and injured them severely. {SPAN}##le{/SPAN} in Jerusalem a number of hand-to-hand encounters were reported before an Arab {SPAN}##age{/SPAN} in the commerical center of the city was set ablaze by a crowd of Jews.

Following the receipt of news that 50 Jews had been killed by marauding Arab ##s in Aden, British crown colony on the Red Sea coast near Yemen, the Jewish Emergency Aid Committee today cabled $2,000 to the Jewish community and asked for a com##ete report so that more adequate aid could be offered. Some 25 Arabs have been ##lled by Jews and British policemen during five days of rioting and looting of the Jewish quarter.

From Beirut it was reported that the Lebanese parliament has voted $450,000 ## aid the Palestine Arabs. In Cairo, Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha, secretary-general of ## Arab League, announced that the League’s Council will meet there Wednesday.

Recommended from JTA

Advertisement