Colonial Office Summary of Disorders

THE COLONIAL OFFICE TODAY ISSUED THE FOLLOWING SUMMARY OF YESTERDAY’S DISORDERS IN PALESTINE:

CURFEW WAS PROCLAIMED FOR 9:30 P.M. UPON NEWS TROUBLE COULD BE EXPECTED A HALF-HOUR LATER. VIOLENCE FLARED EARLIER THAN THAT, HOWEVER, A JEWISH AUTOBUS BEING ATTACKED IN THE SUBURB WEST OF JERUSALEM AT 6 P.M. THREE JEWS WERE SLIGHTLY WOUNDED BY THE SUSTAINED RIFLE FIRE AND ONE BOMB THROWN AT THE AUTOMOBILE. THE BODY OF AN ARAB APPARENTLY KILLED BY A BOMB WHICH EXPLODED PREMATURELY WAS LATER FOUND NEAR THE SCENE.

A SECOND JEWISH BUS WAS ATTACKED AT 6:15 P.M. FIVE MILES FROM JERUSALEM ON THE JAFFA HIGHWAY. TEN PASSENGERS WERE REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN KILLED OR WOUNDED.

THE TERRORISTS STRUCK AGAIN AT 8 P.M., WHEN A PASSENGER TRAIN WAS DERAILED ON THE HAIFA-LYDDA RAILWAY LIE NORTH OF RAS-EL-EIN BY SIX MINES. THE ARAB BAND ALSO RIPPED UP SOME OF THE RAILS AND THREE OF THEM ATTEMPTED TO ATTACK THE COACHES. TWO OF THE RAIDERS WERE KILLED AND THE THIRD WAS WOUNDED BY A BRITISH AND ARAB POLICEMAN. NO ONE ABOARD THE TRAIN WAS KILLED, THE ENGINEER, FIREMAN AND SEVERAL PASSENGERS ESCAPING WITH MINOR INJURIES.

OTHER TERRORIST BANDS CUT THE IRAQ PIPELINE FOUR MILES WEST OF JERUSALEM AND PUT THE ESCAPING OIL TO THE TORCH. THAT WAS AT 9 P.M. THE CLIMAX OF THE DISORDERS CAME FOUR HOURS LATER, WHEN SIX LORRIES CARRYING POLICE REINFORCEMENTS TO HEBRON WERE AMBUSHED NEAR SOLOMON’S SPRING.

STILL OTHER MARAUDING BANDS TERRORIZED SEVEN WIDELY SEPARATED JEWISH COLONIES IN THE JERUSALEM AND GALILEE DISTRICTS. NO CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED.