Palestine Government Will Not Invoke Martial Law to Halt Extremist Activities

The Palestine Government does not intend to invoke martial law in an attempt to halt terrorist activities, a government spokesman announced today at a press conference.

It was learned here that the government is postponing the imposition of extraordinary measures in order to give Jewish leaders an opportunity to pacify the country. Authoritative Jewish circles told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that today’s government statement has caused them to be more optimistic concerning the immediate future. They stated that the strongest possible pressure is being exerted by Jewish national institutions to force the dissident groups to discontinue their activities.

It is known here that for several days negotiations have been carried on with the extremist underground groups and the outlook is reported to be hopeful. The Irgun Zvai Leumi and the Stern Group are asking that the British change their policy on Jewish immigration and that British troops and Palestine police force be compelled to cease terrorizing the Jewish population, before the underground groups declare a truce.

Meanwhile, the Irgun’s radio, “Voice of Fighting Zion,” last night broadcast a denial that it had ceased its activities or that pressure from the Haganah has forced it to declare a truce. “The Irgun Zvai Leumi has not ceased to fight against the British enemy,” the announcer said, “we will continue until his defeat. There is no strife among the underground groups, fighting together against a common foe. Cooperation of the two groups–the Irgun and the Sternists – is conditioned on one thing only; that the fight be conducted against the common enemy,” he declared. The announcer also said that the Irgun was responsible for clashes with troops in Jerusalem last Thursday night.

EXTREMISTS REPORTED TO HAVE AGREED TO TRUCE DURING ZIONIST CONGRESS

It was reported in Tel Aviv today that “reliable sources” had stated that the Irgun and the Sternists had agreed to a truce for the period of the Zionist Congress, but that further deportations to Cyprus of visaless immigrants would disrupt the armistice and cause a new flare-up of violence.

For the last few days the Irgun has been warning against “blackmailers” who are attempting to extort large sums of money from wealthy Jews in the name of underground groups. The imposters were told that they would be sentenced to death by underground courts. Today three youths were found unconscious on a street in Tel Aviv. They told police that they had been sentenced to death but their sentences were commuted to 39 lashes each when they pleaded that they were the chief support of large families.

A group of 756 visaless Jews were scheduled to sail from Cyprus to Haifa today as the second group to be returned to Palestine under the November-January immigration quotas. Three hundred men, women and children in the first group have already been released and resettled throughout the country.