A new outbreak of violence by Jewish terrorists signaled by a simultaneous attack on four police stations on midnight Wednesday is causing great concern among Palestine Jews.
The raids were the most serious act of terrorism since the attack on the life of former High Commissioner Sir Harold MacMichael last month, and the most widespread since last March when police station in Haifa, Jaffa and Jerusalem were blasted. There have been only sporadic disturbances in the past few months including a raid by an armed band on the central station of the Palestine Broadcasting System.
In Wednesday night’s raids two constables were killed in battles with the attackers – believed to be members of the Irgun Zvai Leumi – and Arab and an Army corporal were killed by stray shots. The raiders suffered some casualties, but none were killed. Two arrests were made. According to the official communique issued by the police the following events occurred on or about midnight.
The Beit Dajan police station on the Jaffa to Jerusalem highway was attacked by a large party which poured shots into it and exploded about 13 bombs around the approaches to the station. Police drove off the attackers without suffering any casualties, but after they had fled the dead body of an Arab killed by a stay shot was discovered.
The second attack occurred at the Qualkila police headquarters where 20 armed men dressed in British military uniforms flung several grenades causing little damage. Explosives with red warning lights were placed around the approaches to the station. The raiders were driven off after a brief skirmish.
The eastern police station in Haifa was the target of the third attack by 25 men, most of them armed with automatic rifles. After placing bombs bearing the Irgun’s insignia around the station the attackers threw grenades which caused some damage. Their attempts to enter the station were repulsed, however, after a short but severe battle in which a Palestine constable was killed, a British constable suffered a brain concussion and a passerby was wounded in the leg. After the terrorists withdrew traces of blood were found in the road indicating that at least one of them had been hit.
The last attack was on the Quatra police station, in southern Palestine. Here an unknown number of armed raiders succeeded in breaking into the entrance of the building and stealing some arms. A Palestine constable and an army corporal who was passing the scene in a truck were killed.
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.
