Crack units of the Haganah, manned by veterans of desert warfare and of the European campaigns of World War II, have been deployed along the Palestine-Syrian border, an Agency spokesman disclosed today.
He said that watchtowers and pillboxes equipped with powerful searchlights have the border under constant surveillance, while scouts reconnoiter the territory adjacent to the frontiers. The spokesman added that up to this morning the Haganah had found no evidence that Syrian troops were preparing to attack Jewish settlements, The only report brought back by scouts was that the Syrian units had pitched tents for 1,500 men, but had brought up only light equipment, such as is used on maneuvers.
Chairman David Ben Gurion of the Jewish Agency called on High Commissioner Sir Alan G. Cunningham this afternoon to discuss the security situation in the country and the rumors concerning Arab troop concentrations. It is understood that Ben Gurion demanded that the government take no steps to hamper the activities of the Haganah. He also asked why British troops have been replaced by Arab Legion units in Upper Galilee at a time when an Arab invasion is rumored.
David Remez, chairman of the Jewish National Council, tonight announced resumption of the “Redemption Fund,” collected during the 1936-39 disturbances. All Jewish wage earners will be asked to contribute one day’s pay per month to finance the defense of Jewish settlements, he said. He added that Jews throughout the world may be called on for all-out financial support to secure a Jewish state against attacks and to meet pressing economic problems.
REMEZ PLEASED BY U.S. ATTITUDE; ENDORSES PROPOSAL OF INTERNATIONAL CONSTABULARY
Remez welcomed the U.S. attitude towards partition and its suggestion of an international police force. He expressed the hope that such a force would make possible Russian participation. Remez called on Jewish youths all over the world, but especially in America, to join the international constabulary when it is created.
Replying to a question, he said that Jews and Arabs would have equal rights in a Jewish state and that one of the first laws to be promulgated would make mandatory equal wages for Jewish and Arab workers.
Generally, the reports of Arab troop concentrations have aroused more furor abroad than in Palestine. Both Jews and Arabs go about their normal pursuits and angle in the streets, in busses and in shops. Syrian peddlers even crossed the border yesterday to sell their wares in Jewish settlements.
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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.
