Relations between the Palestine Government and the Jews were virtually severed this morning, when Jewish members of government advisory committees resigned and Jewish mayors and heads of local councils announced that they would have no dealings with the British.
Meanwhile, tense British troops patrolled the streets of Palestine’s main cities today in anticipation of large-scale outbreaks by Jewish resistance forces in protest against the deportation to Cyprus yesterday of 1,300 refugee Jews.
(A report from Famagusta, Cyprus, today said that the government will probably announce tomorrow that provision is being made to accommodate 10,000 “illegal” immigrants in Cyprus. The Caraola camp, near Famagusta, is ready for the first arrivals and extraordinary security precautions have been taken, including ringing the camp with three barbed wire fences.)
Although the Jewish population’s resentment has been confined up to now mainly to anti-British demonstrations–such as that in Tel Aviv last night where 20,000 jeered and booed every mention of Britain–security authorities have placed troops and police on a war footing in expectation of what they believe are almost certain retaliatory measures by the Haganah and more extremist Jewish groups.
Jerusalem today resembled a besieged city. Heavily armed troops guarded a “government zone” in the center of the city, containing government offices and military headquarters. Other troops were stationed around the Jewish and Arab quarters of the city. Each of the three defense zones can operate independently if they should be cut off.
All employees and visitors in the general post office building here were hurriedly evacuated this afternoon following a mysterious phone call warning that the building was mined. Police and armored cars are on guard around the building.
Picked units have been stationed at road blocks guarding all main traffic arteries and guards were strengthened at the Latrun detention camp where three leaders of the Jewish Agency are imprisoned. Although official announcements said all was quiet, occasional shots could be heard as troops fired into the air to disperse crowds.
However, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa were calm compared to the situation last night when crowds rolled through the streets shouting defiance of Britain, although there was a brief clash in Haifa between club-swinging police and a crowd which attempted to storm the port area after the funeral of the three Jews killed there yesterday.
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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.
