Jewish National Council in Palestine Issues Appeal for Curb on Terror

The Jewish National Council of Palestine today issued an appeal calling upon every individual Jew and all Jewish groups in the country "to do everything in their power to isolate those responsible for the insane acts" of terrorism which took place last Thursday resulting in the death and wounding of a number of British police officials when bombs exploded almost simultaneously in police headquarters in Jerusalem, Haifa, Jaffa and Tel Aviv.

The appeal followed the statement issued last night by the executive of the Jewish Agency for Palestine which termed the blasting of government offices as "criminal" and emphasized that "the deadly hand which directed these crimes is unwittingly or maliciously helping the enemies of the Jewish people."

The curfew imposed in the all-Jewish city of Tel Aviv and in the Jewish sections of Jerusalem and Haifa as a result of Thursday’s explosions is beginning to make itself felt economically. So far no arrangements have been completed to permit the carrying on of civilian activities after curfew. Even doctors and journalists are still without passes. Many persons whose duties require their absence from home after 5 P.M. have had to arrange to sleep in their offices or shops.

Mayor Israel Rokach of Tel Aviv, addressing a meeting of the city’s municipal council last night, urged the authorities to shift the curfew hour from 5 P.M. to 7 P.M. in order to alleviate some of the hardship. At the same time, the mayor paid tribute to the policemen killed "defending their country’s security" and stated that "the Palestine Government should know that the Yishuv is not guilty of these outbreaks but a group lacking any public national responsibility."

PALESTINE CENSOR PERMITS ARAB PRESS TO PUBLISH INCITING ARTICLES

Palestine censorship, which usually claims that it must keep a close curb on the local press in order to prevent incitement by one section of the population against the other, is permitting the Arab press to utilize the terrorist acts of last week for propaganda against the entire Jewish community of Palestine.

Violent attacks against Jews, passed by the British censors, are published today in Al Difaa and Falastin, two leading Palestine Arab newspapers. The articles indict all Jews of Palestine for the attacks on the police stations in Jerusalem, Haifa, Jaffa and Tel Aviv and demand "drastic action" from the government.

HEBREW NEWSPAPERS UNANIMOUS IN CONDEMNING TERROR

The Hebrew press today is unanimous in its condemnation of the terror unleashed against the British administration here by Jewish extremists seeking to force abrogation of the White Paper ban on further Jewish immigration after this coming Friday, March 31. The newspapers emphasize that the Jewish community itself must organize to halt the outbreaks which, they say, are undermining the work of all reputable Zionist bodies.

Davar, official labor organ, and the most influential paper in the country, says that while the blow to the police has been great, the disaster to the Yishuv as a result of Thursday’s crimes is much greater. It demands that "an end be put to this calamitous situation."

Haaretz, another leading daily newspaper, asserts that "only Hitler can profit from such outrages." It says that while Jewish leaders are debating the minutest points of political formulae, a situation has developed which can undermine all political activities. The editorial calls on leading Jewish institutions to issue statements clarifying the situation and informing the public of their stand.

Haboker, organ of employers groups, predicts that the most recent outrages will impel the Jewish community to strengthen the hands of the national institutions in fighting the terrorists. It expresses the hope that the British authorities in their efforts to restore peace and security will, as far as possible, lighten the hardships suffered by the entire community as a result of the curfew.

Mishmar, a leftist organ, warns that if the terrorist gangs are allowed to continue their plotting "they will bring disaster down upon our heads. They will drag the Yishuv into bloody riots that will stain it in the eyes of the world and will undermine our political position." Deeds, not talking, are the only means of curbing the terror, the paper adds. Hazofe, orthodox paper, declares that the terror, while ostensibly aimed at the police, is of great danger to the Jews.