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Jaffa Bombed; Irgun Threatens “revolt” Unless Jewish Government Set Up by Tomorrow

March 30, 1948
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Three bombs were dropped on Jaffa shortly before dawn this morning apparently from a plane, it was officially announced here today. They caused no casualties and only slight damage to a Greek Orthodox school building. Meanwhile, the Irgun Zvai Leumi has threatened to start a “revolution” against the Jewish Agency unless a Jewish Provisional Government is proclaimed on or before March 31.

Seven Jews died during an attack on the Arab village of Mughar, near the Lydda airport, according to a government communique issued today. The communique states that a Jewish armored ear blew up during the attack and all its occupants, including one woman, were burned to death.

Some 30 Arabs were killed last night during a Haganah raid on the Arab village of Sandala, near Jenin. Despite strong opposition the Jews forced the Arabs to abandon the village and then destroyed ten houses. Later, Arab reinforcements rushing toward the town met a second Haganah unit whish was mining the surrounding roads. A truckled Arab guerrillas was blown up with heavy loss of life. The Jews returned safely to base without having suffered any casualties.

210 JEWS RESCUED FROM KFAR ETZION TRAP; 49 SLIGHTLY WOUNDED

The government today issued a warning that it would never again attempt to rescue Jews attacked by Arabs in a situation similar to that of the Jews trapped in the Kfar Etzion ambush yesterday. The statement charged that the Jews set out for Kfar Etzion from Jerusalem without informing the authorities, and when warned not to return along the route to return because the Arabs had erected barricades to halt them, the Jews had disregarded instructions. The government press release also revealed that 210 persons were rescued, including 40 who were slightly wounded.

Jewish sources revealed that as one condition for the truce, the Arabs demanded that the Jews surrender all vehicles and weapons to them, This offer was refused, but on orders from the Jewish Agency, the weapons and vehicles were surrendered to the party of some 20 British police and military officers who arranged ?e truce. The British subsequently handed the weapons over to the Arabs. The final ## toll, according to the Jaws, was 21 Jews and 17 Arabs.

According to estimates by Jewish sources, 970 Jews and 2,068 Arabs died by ##lence during the four months since the U.N. decided to partition Palestine, It as also estimated that some 1,500 Jews and 2,500 Arabs were wounded.

The transshipment and deportation to Cyprus of 737 visaless Jewish refugees apprehended aboard the blockade runner Yechim yesterday was completed without incident in Haifa harbor this afternoon. There were 403 men, 202 women and 132 children among the immigrants.

A Jewish Agency spokesman, commenting this morning on an appeal by the Archbishop of York to the U.N. to take immediate steps to save Jerusalem from destruction, welcomed such moves and added that the Jews would also welcome any move toward a truce from Arabs in whom the Jews can place their trust. Dr. Hussein Khalidi, secretary of the Palestine Arab Higher Committee, also commenting on the prelate’s appeal, declared: “If danger exists at all to the sacred places in Jerusalem it comes from Zionist aggression.”

The Ichud Party last night issued a statement welcoming President Truman’s ?all for a truce between Jews and Arabs in Palestine and accepting an interim U.N. trusteeship with the eventual objective of a bi-national state based on two “equal peoples as equal partners in the government. The statement, signed by Drs. Judah Magnes, Martin Buber and Warner Senator and several others, also called for a substantial increase in Jewish immigration and the Joint development of the country’s resources for the benefit of all its inhabitants.

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