Resistance to Independent State Plan Rises Among Palestine Jews

An Arab state can only be imposed on Palestine with British bayonets, a prominent leader of the Histadruth, (Palestine Jewish federation of labor) warned today. Eliezer Liebenstein, in a leading editorial in the Hebrew laborite daily, Davar, asserted that the Jewish reply to Arab rule would be to use the transitional period contemplated before establishment of the state for training, arming, preparation and defense.

Authorities acted to deter Jews from listening to short-wave broadcasts of mysterious origin calling upon them to rise in resistance to the British plan for establishment of an Arab-controlled state in Palestine. Radio stores in Tel Aviv were forbidden to maintain loudspeakers in the streets.

Emergency regulations prohibiting the carrying of firearms were extended to prohibit Jewish children from having toy pistols, a traditional amusement of today’s Purim festival. A special edition of the official Palestine Gazette announced that sale and possession of toy guns were illegal under the emergency regulations. It is a customary pastime on Purim for children to shoot the toy pistols at representations of Haman, traditional Persian enemy of the Jews.

A 65-year-old Jewish porter, Mordecai Shlomo Mizrachi, will be tried by the Jerusalem Military Court on March 7, it was announced today, on a charge of carrying a pistol. He was arrested on Feb. 28, after a burst of violence directed at Arabs.

The Senate of the Hebrew University issued a proclamation endorsing the manifesto adopted by a united front conference of Jewish organizations on March 1 pledging resistance to imposition of a state. The Jewish population does not desire to dominate the Arabs, but will never consent to be dominated, the statement said.