Martial Law Believed Averted; Drastic Strike Curbs Adopted

Issuance of the already-drafted proclamation of nation-wide martial law was believed to have been avoided today by the drastic regulations to break the Arab strike and permitting the army and navy to make searches and arrests without warrants.

The British Commissioner at Tulkarem invited Arab leaders to a conference and warned them that military forces had authorization to shoot if bomb-throwing at night continued.

Arab workers in the big Maspero cigarette factory at Jaffa broke the strike by returning to work today.

ARAB KILLER GETS 15-YEAR TERM

An Arab, Ahmed Issawi, was sentenced today to fifteen years’ imprisonment for the murder of Eliezer Bitzutzky, 44, on April 19. He is the first murderer to be convicted in the deaths of 29 Jews since April 15.

Two Jews — David Vardi and Israel Arger — were seriously injured today by Arabs who entered a Jewish grove near Rishon-le-Zion asking for water and then opened fire. They escaped when soldiers arrived on the scene.

An unofficial Arab delegation headed by Mayor Hussein el Khalidi of Jerusalem will leave for London shortly. Khalidi took leave of absence from the mayoralty to make the trip.

HEBREW PRESS CENSORED

Special censors were placed in newspaper offices to check material before publication. As a result Hebrew newspapers appeared today for the first time in history with white spaces on their pages.

A special edition of the Government Gazette today announced the following other ordinances to cope with Arab disorders against the Government and the Jews which are now in their seventh week;

1- Empowering district commissioners to close all clubs, cafes and public places to prevent illegal gatherings endangering the peace.

2- Prohibiting manufacture or importation of materials for making bombs.

3- Authorizing prison sentences not exceeding one year for persons flouting home-arrest or escaping from exile. These sentences are to be imposed by administrative officers.

Coincident with newspaper censorship, the authorities tightened the censorship on telegraph messages. Yesterday the Government authorized district commissioners to order closed shops reopened on penalty of 6 months in jail.

MARTIAL LAW DEMANDED

The Hebrew daily, Haaretz, demands proclamation of martial law, at least for roads, “since the situation has reached the point where all law-abiding citizens are compelled to lock themselves in the homes, fearing to travel abroad.”

Palestine emerged this morning from a night of partial isolation after Arabs had cut telephone and telegraph wires again. Sixty telephone and telegraph poles were reported to have been pulled down near Gaza. It was estimated $20,000 damage had been done to communications in Northern Palestine alone.

An Arab leader, Mischel Mitri, and three others were exiled today to a concentration camp in the Sinai desert.

Ten bombs were thrown during the night and numerous exchanges of shots with police occurred, according to an official communique. Two bombs were thrown at Jaffa, two at Lydda and three on the Acre road.

All speakers at “Blue-white” day yesterday at the Levant Fair in Tel Aviv were asked by the District Commissioner today to explain why they had participated in the gathering without a permit.

One of the speakers was Moshe Avigdor Amiel, chief rabbi of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, who warned Arabs that Jewish youth “also knows the use of arms and may soon have to use them.”

He added: “Do not overtax our patience. Everything has its limits.”