The conflict between the Moslem and Christian Arabs of Haifa over the ownership of an old cemetery, which last week led to a clash in the streets in the course of which one Christian Arab and six others of the crowd were injured, has not yet been settled, although the Haifa Waqf, the Moslem religious property trust, has offered the family of the dead man $10,000. This offer has been rejected and the Christian Arabs have declined to conduct peace negotiations with a delegation of the Arab Executive that came to Haifa for that purpose.
Two Moslem policemen have been arrested charged with aiding the Moslems who attacked the Christians to escape and warrants have been issued for the arrest of Rashid Abrahim, head of the Haifa Waqf and a member of the Arab Executive, and Ramzi Amar, secretary of the Moslem Association, both of whom are charged with inciting the Moslem crowd to attack the Christian Arabs. Neither has yet been apprehended. Further indications of the seriousness of the rupture are seen in the secession of the Christian Arab women from the Haifa Arab Women’s Association and the establishing of their own association.
The trouble, which had been brewing for some time, ended in a street fight last Sunday when Christian Arabs attempted to build a hut on the disputed cemetery. The Moslems immediately gathered and the clash followed. Jamal Bakhri, editor of the Christian Arab paper, Al Zamer, was the man killed. Further trouble was narrowly avoided during Jamal Bakhri’s funeral.
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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.
