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Name Agency “working Executive”; Palestine Commander Blames All Jews for Hotel Bombing

July 29, 1946
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A joint meeting here today of the executive of the Jewish Agency, the praesidium of the Inner Zionist Actions Committee and the leaders of major Zionist parties voted unanimously to ask the forthcoming Jewish Agency meeting in Paris to convoke immediately a meeting of the Zionist Actions Committee, to be followed as soon as possible by a World Zionist Congress.

In the absence of the key Agency leaders, some of whom are under arrest and others of whom are in Paris, today’s meeting elected a temporary “working executive” for the Agency consisting of Levi Shkolnick and Zalman Rubashev, Laborites; Yehoshua Supraski, General Zionist and Rabbi L.Z. Ostrovsky of the Mizrachi. Harry Sacher, one time political chief of the Agency, will act as its political adviser.

Sir Evelyn Barker, British commander-in-chief in Palestine, has issued a letter to all units in which he charges that all Jews in Palestine are equally guilty of the King David outrage. Explaining his reason for ordering all Jewish businesses, places of entertainment and homes out of bounds for British soldiers, Barker added that “this race” should be made to feel British loathing and contempt through the most effective means — their pockets. Barker added that expressions of regret by Jewish institutions must be treated as “hypocritical,” since they do not cooperate in eradicating terrorism.

The highest police and military officers in the country have taken over personal supervision of the hunt for the perpetrators of the bombing. They are reporting directly to the High Commissioner, with whom they hold daily conferences on security problems.

Two more bodies were recovered today from the wreckage of the King David, bringing the death toll to 82, with a number of persons still missing. Among the bodies unearthed yesterday was that of Geoffrey Walsh, economic adviser to the Palestine Government.

DENY REPORT THAT ARMED JEWS ATTEMPTED TO FREE PRISONERS HELD BY BRITISH

It was learned today that the announcement last night that a group of armed Jews had attempted to raid the detention barracks in Jerusalem and free the persons arrested in Friday and Saturday’s raids was incorrect. The shooting which occurred resulted from the nervousness of sentries, who fired at shadows. Three persons who were arrested in connection with the incident were released this morning.

Eight masked men today held up a gold exchange in Tel Aviv and escaped with gold and banknotes valued at about $140,000.

A statement issued here last night by Hussein Khalidi, secretary of the Arab Higher Committee, said that the Arabs emphatically reject partition. “Partition is impracticable from the political, administrative, financial and social point of view,” he declared.

“Palestine Arabs have not yet received any official invitation to participate in the talks either from London or from the Arab League,” Khalidi added. “However, the Arab Higher Committee will refuse to sit with Jews on any conference on the future of Palestine.”

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