The Palestine Government was warned today that any attempt to impose martial law would only increase tension and defeat its purpose of suppressing the terrorists.
The warning was issued by Haganah, Jewish resistance movement. In a breadcast over its secret radio, Haganah said that “an attempt to rule the country with an iron hand would be considered as aiming at the honor and economy of the Jews in Palestine.” Such action, the broadcast stated, will not isolate nor liquidate the terrorists who are able to escape and evade punishment. “Drastic measures will make the solution of the Palestine problem more difficult and the government alone will be responsible for the results, ” Haganah emphasized.
Jewish Agency leaders Goldie Meirson and David Remez today conferred on the present situation in Palestine with Acting High Commissioner Henry L. Gurney. They also discussed a number of political problems involving British-Jewish relations.
Authoritative Jewish sources denied that Gurney yesterday told Jewish leaders that Sir Alan G. Cunningham was returning from London to Palestine with authority to close all frontiers, confiscate civilian vehicles, impose collective fines, extend the curfew and arrest certain Jewish political leaders.
JEWS TORTURED AT LATRUN DETENTION CAMP
Meanwhile, it was reported today that more than 70 Jews who were detained during the recent searches in Tel Aviv and elsewhere and sent to the Latrun detention camp, are being subjected to “barbaric tortures.” The report said that they are being beaten and pricked with bayonets. They are not given sufficient food, and money which they had on their person when arrested has been confiscated, it added.
In Tel Aviv, a Jewish youth, Benzion Mizrachi, was wounded in the eyes when a tear gas bomb was thrown at him by passing British soldiers. In Jerusalem, the government issued an official statement denying a report that General Sir Evelyn Barker, British commander in Palestine, had commuted to life imprisonment a death sentence re-cantly imposed by a military court on Dov Gruner, a Jewish extramist who last April took part in an attack on a police station.
Eight armed men today broke into a Jewish restaurant in Tel Aviv. They smashed a window and destroyed furniture, causing substantial damage. The owner told the police that for several weeks he has been receiving requests from one of the extremist groups to contribute a considerable sum to its movement, He believes that the attack on his establishment was in revange for his refual to comply with the requests.
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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.
