Ten American citizens were arraigned today in a Magistrates Court here on charges of assisting illegal immigration into Palestine and of entering Palestine illegally. Although there was no official disclosure of how they entered the country, it is understood that the defendants are the crew of the Chaim Arlosorof, the blockade runner which was captured last week.
Meanwhile, the Palestine High Court began hearings on the petition for writs of habeas corpus filed on behalf of the Arloscrof passengers by the Jerusalem Jewish Community Council. The first witness for the government was High Commissioner Sir Alan G. Cunningham’s aide de camp who testified that the order for the deportation of the refugees was signed by Cunningham ten minutes after it had been presented to him.
David Goitein, attorney for the Community Council, challeged the validity of the government’s statement that the refugees must be deported because they were endangering the peace, since the High Commissioner could not have possibly checked the files of such of the refugees within ten minutes. The second government witness, Attorney General Bertram Gibbson, told the court that “if security demand it, the High Commissioner may some time do something which is formally not legal.” The court’s decision is expected tomorrow.
A report from Famaguata, Cyprue, says that 527 of the vosch’s passengere, who were deported despite a court order, were disembarked there yesterday. The Palestine authorities have announced that any court action in favor of the 800 Arlosorof refugees aboard the Ocean Vigor which is still in Palestines waters will be extended to the deportees.
The names of the ten Americans, who will be detained for at least another fortnight until an investigation is completed and formal charges filed against them, are: Abraham Rabinovich, Abraham Ben Mordecai, Zelig Teitelbaum, Hayim Lachenislav, Jacob Israelson, Waldor Gort, Bornard Rafalowitch, Yehoshue Potrovitch, Zeev Goldberg and Simon Soma.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
