A sensational turn in the long-drawn-out Arlosoroff case is expected as the result of a sworn affidavit filed today with the Palestine courts by Dr. Eliash on behalf of his client, Abdul Mejid, one of the important witnesses in the murder trial, which ended in the conviction and death penalty for Abraham Stavsky and the freeing of Aba Achimeier and Zvi Rosenblatt.
Abdul Mejid swears in the affidavit that his original confession during the trial was true and that his later retraction is false. He insists that Issa Darwish, his boon companion, murdered Dr. Arlosoroff and that he accompanied him.
Police under Roy G. B. Spicer, commandant of the Palestine police, are investigating the Arab’s latest confession and will probably take him to be questioned by an examining magistrate.
It is thought that Mejid’s confession may hold up indefinitely the appeal from the death sentence imposed on Stavsky, which is to be heard by the Palestine Appeals Court in Jerusalem on Monday.
Dr. Eliash is defending Abdul Mejid on the charge of having murdered an Arab barber named Lufti. Mejid and Darwish were in jail at Jaffa on this charge when the former confessed to having killed Dr. Arlosoroff.
Later he retracted this confession, saying that Stavsky and Rosenblatt had offered him £1,000 to assume the blame for the murder of Dr. Arlosoroff.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.