Without explanation, the Palestine Government today released from the Athlit internment camp twenty Jews who were arrested on Friday is “illegal” immigrants when they were captured aboard the Greek schooner Demetrios.
At the same time, the authorities today transferred to the Latrun detention camp 130 Jews arrested yesterday during the invasion of Jewish settlements by British troops.
According to latest reports, eight or nine Jews were killed and nearly 100 wounded yesterday. The names of the eight known dead are: Elimelech Starkman, 33; Jacob Adato, 17; Naphtali Steinfeld, 19; Eliahu Cohen-Chimsky, 18; Moshe Moiseiev, 21; Joseph Rosenberg, 37; Uri Oppenheimer, 23; and a 19-year-old girl Ayala Tenenbaum.
Scores of seriously wounded were still in hospitals at Petach Tikvah and Tel Aviv today. Others returned to their homes after receiving first aid.
Funeral services for the dead were held this afternoon between and 1 and 1:30 and were observed throughout the country by a half-hour work stoppage called by the Jewish National Council. Leaders of the council, the Jewish Agency and Chief Rabbis Ferrog and Usiel attended the services.
JEWISH AGENCY CABLES PROTEST TO ATTLEE AGAINST INVASION OF SETTLEMENTS
Bitter protests have been sent by the Jewish Agency and the Histadruth to the authorities. David Ben Gurion, chairman of the Agency executive, cabled Prime Minister Attlee, former Prime Minister Churchill and Labor Party headquarters protesting against the invasion of the colonies and the behavior of the troops during the searches. The Histadruth cabled the British Labor Party, the British Trades Union Congress and the CIO and the AFL in the United States urging them to intervene “to prevent future catastrophes,” which it said are sure to follow if the policy of barring Jews from Palestine is maintained.
Tension subsided gradually as British troops withdrew from the invaded coloniss. The cordons were lifted last night after the soldiers completed their searches. An official announcement said that a supply of ammunition, explosives, military uniforms and German and Greek currency were found in one of the settlements.
Meanwhile, the Palestine Government is rapidly liquidating the Jewish supermarary police, which were organized when the Nazi forces led by Field Marshal Rommel threatened Egypt and Palestine. They have been withdrawn from guard duty and military depots and airdromes and replaced by units of the Arab Legion. The Government’s haste in dismissing the Jewish police is criticized in the Jewish press.
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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.
