Sternist chief Nathan Friedman-Yellin today opened his defense before an Acre military court with a six-hour speech in which he denied that his organization was involved in the assassination of Count Folke Bernadotte, reviewed the history of military collaboration between his group and the Haganah and challenged the jurisdiction of the court sitting in judgment on him.
He concluded his speech with the statement: “I was surprised when I heard of the Bernadotte murder.” He explained that when he first heard of the assassination he intended to explain to the government that his group was not involved, but refrained when he learned that the police were arresting all Sternists on whom they could lay hands.
He insisted that he and his organization had been convicted in advance of the present trial. He also pointed out that alleged British spies for the Arabs had been tried by a civil court while he was facing a military court. However, he said that he was “not afraid” of military courts since 22 of his friends had been condemned to death by British courts martial.
Meanwhile, the Sternists tonight issued a communique protesting vigorously against negotiating a treaty or conducting talks with King Abdullah of Transjordan because “Abdullah is Britain and Britain is our main enemy. The war between the Hebrew nation and Britain continues,” the communique declared.
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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.
