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Britain Stresses Difficulties of Fighting Palestine Terrorists; Blames Mufti

January 10, 1939
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The War Office tonight issued a lengthy statement on the Palestine situation in which it emphasized difficulties faced by the British military and refuted charges that British soldiers had been guilty of atrocities. The statement constituted a reply to “baseless” atrocity charges made by “persons and organizations” called unfriendly to Great Britain.

The document pointed out that there is no organized rebel army against which troops “can act to the exclusion of the remaining peaceful citizens.” It said: “Throughout the country active rebels and peaceful citizens are inextricably mixed. The total number of permanent active rebels in the whole country probably does not exceed 1,000 to 1,500 men, split up into small bodies under the command of various leaders.”

The War Office pointed out that the terrorists avoid organized fighting as much as possible, using the hours of darkness for their raids and mingling” indistinguishably” with peaceful citizens during the day. It charged that the general policy of the terrorists was more or less directed by the exiled ex-Mufti of Jerusalem and the Arab Supreme Committee but that within Palestine the fighting leaders were practically independent in their own areas.

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