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Violence Flares in Palestine As Arab Strike Spreads

October 5, 1937
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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WITH THE ARAB STRIKE AGAINST DRASTIC BRITISH MEASURES IN SUPPRESSING TERRORISM SPREADING, VIOLENCE BROKE OUT TODAY IN SCATTERED PARTS OF THE HOLY LAND.

IN ACRE, A MOSLEM CHIEF, SHEIKH ABDUL FATACH, WAS SHOT DEAD AND AN ARAB COMPANION SLIGHTLY WOUNDED. THE ASSAILANTS ESCAPED. INCENDIARY FIRE RAZED A GOVERNMENT CHICKEN FARM NEAR HAIFA. THE PIPELINE OF THE IRAQ PETROLEUM COMPANY WAS BROKEN IN THREE PLACES NEAR JISSERMAN JAMEA AND ESCAPING OIL IGNITED.

TELEPHONE WIRES WERE CUT AND BARRIERS WERE PLACED ON RAILROAD TRACKS NEAR RAMLEH. WORKERS CLEARING THE TRACK WERE FIRED UPON, BUT THERE WERE NO CASUALTIES.

MEANWHILE ARAB SOURCES SAID PALESTINE ARABS WOULD BOYCOTT THE GOVERNMENT’S PLAN TO ESTABLISH AN ARAB AGENCY SIMILAR TO THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE.

SIXTY MUKHTARS (LOCAL ARAB CHIEFS) OF VILLAGES ASSEMBLED AT THE GOVERNMENT OFFICES TO PROTEST ARRESTS OF ARAB LEADERS BUT WERE NOT ADMITTED INTO THE BUILDING. THEY SUBMITTED A PROTEST.

THE GOVERNMENT PRESSED ITS CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERRORISM BY DEPRIVING A NUMBER OF ARAB POLITICIANS OF TELEPHONE SERVICE. STRONG POLICE DETACHMENTS PATROLLED STREETS OF THIS CITY, JAFFA AND OTHER CENTERS OF LARGE ARAB POPULATION. AIRPLANES FLEW OVER JERUSALEM AT A LOW ALTITUDE.

THE TRANSJORDAN FRONTIER FORCE WAS ORDERED TO STAND BY AND ALL LEAVES WERE CANCELLED. PEAKE PASHA, COMMANDER OF THE ARAB LEGION, HAS BEEN RECALLED FROM ENGLAND, HAARETZ, HEBREW DAILY, REPORTED.

MEANWHILE THE CLOSING OF ARAB SHOPS SPREAD FROM THIS CITY TO HAIFA, JAFFA, LYDDA, RAMLEH, GAZA AND TULKAREM, THE HAVAS NEWS AGENCY REPORTED. A MAJORITY OF THE STORES IN THOSE CITIES WERE REPORTED CLOSED TODAY IN PROTEST AGAINST THE ARRESTS OF ARAB LEADERS, OUTLAWING OF THE ARAB SUPREME COMMITTEE AND DEPOSITION OF GRAND MUFTI HAJ AMIN EL HUSSEINI AS PRESIDENT OF THE MOSLEM SUPREME COUNCIL. THE EX-MUFTI CONTINUED IMMURED IN THE MOSQUE OF OMAR UNDER STRICT POLICE SURVEILLANCE.

FROM HIS REFUGE, HE ISSUED WHAT WAS TERMED AN INCITING PROCLAMATION TO THE ARABS, WHICH THE PALESTINE GOVERNMENT INSTRUCTED NEWSPAPERS NOT TO PUBLISH. THE PROCLAMATION, HOWEVER, ADVISED AGAINST A STRIKE, STATING THE STRIKE WAS AN ECONOMIC, NOT A POLITICAL MEASURE.

THE GOVERNMENT’S RIGOROUS REPRESSIVE METHODS BROUGHT THEIR FIRST PROTEST FROM ARAB COUNTRIES TODAY, IN THE FORM OF AN APPEAL BY THE SYRIAN COMMITTEE FOR PALESTINE DEFENSE, THE HAVAS NEWS AGENCY REPORTED. IT STRESSED THE SOLIDARITY OF THE ARAB WORLD AND URGED BRITAIN TO SOLVE THE PALESTINE PROBLEM IN A FASHION CONFORMING TO THE RIGHTS OF ITS ARAB CITIZENS. IT WAS ADDRESSED TO THE ARAB SOVEREIGNS OF EGYPT, IRAQ, YEMEN, AND SAUDI ARABIA, AND COPIES ALSO WERE SENT TO THE BRITISH COLONIAL OFFICE, THE HIGH COMMISSIONER AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS SECRETARIAT.

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