Anti-Jewish cries, recalling the days of the Palestine massacre of August 1929, were frequent in to-day’s Nebi Moussa procession, when thousands of Moslems going on pilgrimage to the supposed tomb of Moses outside Jericho passed through the streets of Jerusalem. “Strike, wound and kill without fear !” some of the pilgrims shouted, while others kept calling out – “Down with the Balfour Declaration and the Mandate !” Over 10,000 spectators, mostly Moslem women, veiled and draped in black, watched the procession.
The authorities had taken exceptionally stringent precautions to prevent any outbreak. There was an army of police in the streets, anmoured cars barricaded the entrances to the Jaffa Road, and large bodies of mounted police headed and followed the procession, keeping a keen eye on the dancing dervishes who formed a conspicuous part of the Nebi Moussa procession. Only the vigilance of the authorities averted the clash which was feared between the pro-Mufti and the anti-Mufti parties among the Moslems. Feeling between them, nevertheless, ran high, and when one of the adherents of the Grand Mufti tried to raise a cry for him, he succeeded in getting only as far as “long live … ” and he was shouted down by the others crying “May the evil spirit enter the Mufti’s father !”
The pilgrims from Hebron are sleeping to-night in the kosque of Omar area and are proceeding to Nebi Moussa on Monday, when they will be joined by the Moslems from Lifta and Ain Karen.
The Communists, from whom the authorities expected considerable trouble were not in sight all day, apparently frightened off by the drastic action taken by the policein the morning, before the entry of the Hebron Arabs into Jerusalem, in arresting seven of their number, three Jewish women, two Jews and two Arabs. Realising that the police were out to arrest them, the Communists gave up their attempts at incitement and disappeared so rapidly that the police were unable to capture even the 14 Communist leaders against whom warrants were issued last night.
The seven Communist prisoners were removed in motor cars and will probably be put on trial under the Prevention of Crimes Ordinance. One of them is a Hebron Arab named Issa, who made an attempt in 1924 on the life of Mr. Bailey, the British Administrative Officer in Hebron.
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.
