The refugee ship Biria carrying over 1,000 Jewish visaless immigrants and escorted by three British destroyers sailed into Haifa harbor this morning.
The refugees were not permitted to disembark because one of them was suffering from an illness believed to be plague. All the passengers were treated with DDT and given anti-plague injections. After treatment they were placed in launches and carried to another refugee ship for quarantining. They are not expected to land for a week.
The Jews embarked at a French Mediterranean port twelve days ago. Their vessel is the 284-ton Turkish steamer Akbel, which was renamed in honor of the Palestine settlement whose entire male population was recently arrested and jailed following their conviction for illegal possession of arms and ammunition.
The Arab Higher Committee today issued a statement protesting the arrival of the Biria, and declaring that the British were facilitating illegal immigration into Palestine.
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