5 Arabs Die in Incendiary Fire; 2 Policemen Killed

FIVE ARABS DIED AND FIVE WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED TODAY IN AN INCENDIARY FIRE ON GOVERNMENT PROPERTY, WHILE THE AUTHORITIES CONFIRMED THAT TWO ARAB POLICEMEN OF A PATROL HUNTING ARAB TERRORISTS HAD BEEN KILLED.

AN ARAB BAND SET FIRE TO PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT STORES NEAR TULKAREM. AN ARAB WATCHMAN’S SON AND FOUR OTHERS DIED IN THE FLAMES. FIVE ARABS, INCLUDING A POLICEMAN, WERE SERIOUSLY BURNED IN FIGHTING THE BLAZE.

CONSTABLE YECHIA ALLAMI, ONE OF A PATROL OF THREE REPORTED MISSING SINCE THEY HAD BEEN SENT TO HUNT AN ARAB BAND WHICH ATTACKED A JEWISH BUS ON THE ACRE-SAFED ROAD, INJURING THREE JEWS, RETURNED AND REPORTED HIS TWO COMRADES SLAIN. THEY WERE SERGEANT SALIM ABU HARTUM AND CONSTABLE ATTAIL JIRIUS, BOTH ARAB CHRISTIANS.

THE PATROL, WHICH WAS MOUNTED, WAS CARRYING ON ITS SEARCH FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE DUSK ON MONDAY WHEN CAPTURED BY AN ARAB BAND AFTER FIRING INTO THE AIR TO DRIVE THE TERRORISTS AWAY. POLICE AND ROYAL AIR FORCE PLANES, IN SEEKING THE MISSING PATROL, HAD FIGURATIVELY MARKED OFF A TRIANGULAR AREA AS FAR AS THE SYRIAN BORDER.

MEANWHILE, TROOPS SEARCHING IN THE VICINITY OF SAFED DISCOVERED THAT THE VILLAGE OF ANDUR HAD BEEN DESERTED BY ITS INHABITANTS. AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BOY REPORTED THAT ALL HAD JOINED AN ARAB BAND. THE FIVE PERSONS REMAINING IN THE VILLAGE, EXCEPT THE MUKHTAR (NATIVE VILLAGE CHIEF) WERE ARRESTED.

A MILITARY COURT TODAY SENTENCED AN ARAB NAMED MOHAMMED SOURCI TO SEVEN YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOR POSSESSION OF ARMS IN THE THIRD CONVICTION FOR CARRYING ARMS SINCE THE ARMY COURTS WERE ESTABLISHED NOV. 18. THE GOVERNMENT WARNED ARAB RAILWAY WORKERS, ESPECIALLY ENGINEERS, THAT PERSONS COMMITTING SABOTAGE WOULD BE TRIED BY THE MILITARY COURTS.

THE SARID COLONY WAS HEAVILY FIRED UPON. GHAFFIRS (SPECIAL GUARDS) REPLIED TO THE GUNFIRE.