Jewish quarters here are not apprehensive concerning the Arab general strike scheduled for Friday, despite the efforts of some Arab hotheads to use the strike as a springboard for violence against the Jewish community.
Well informed Jewish defense authorities do not believe that the Arab leaders are ready or desirous of precipitating attacks on the Jews at the present time. In addition, they feel confidant that the Jewish defense set-up can quell any violence which may break out.
It is learned, however, that the Arab Higher Executive has instructed both Arab paramilitary organizations, Futuwa and Nejada, to increase recruiting and speed up the training of their forces. They have also been asked to demonstrate their strength on Friday.
Emissaries of the Mufti who have been touring Arab villages in recent days in an attempt to whip up violence on Friday “when the Mufti’s eign is given.” are reported to be meeting with little success. The Arab villagers are reluctant to move against the Jews. Moreover, it is thought that the Mufti’s agents may be acting on their own this time, since it is understood that he also feels that the time is not ripe for violence.
The Arab campaign against storekecpers continuing to deal with Jews resulted in the blasting of a shop in Jerusalem today. The explosion caused a short alert, but police reported no casualties and no arrests.
TRAIN BLOWN UP BY EXTREMISTS; AGENCY CONDEMNS HAIFA BOMBING
Shortly before dawn today, the Cairo-Haifa express was blown up by a landmine about 20 miles south of Haifa. Two coaches were derailed, but there were no casualties.
Jewish national bodies, as well as the Hebrew press and public opinion, are enraged at the Irgun for the bombing yesterday of Haifa police headquarters, which took a toll of ten dead and more than 70 wounded. A Jewish Agency spokesman today “abhorred the outrage not only on humanitarian grounds, but also on political grounds.” He pointed out that “just when the Jews are to appear before the United Nations, this outrage is both dangerous and provocative and misrepresents the actual situation in the country.”
A plenary session of the Jewish National Council which has been convened for Thursday, will, in addition to condening terrorist activity, discuss ways and means of intensifying the fight against the extremists.
British military forcos today destroysd parts of three Jewish-owned houses in Jerusalem in which extremist arms caches were discovered. The troops had originally intended to completely destroy the building, but changed their minds when it became apparent that serious damage might result to nearby homes.
Ben Joseph Langer, 21-year-old Jewish youth, convicted of participating in an attempted robbery of a small Jewish-owned bank in Jerusalem earlier this month, was today sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Employees of the Haifa post office today held a meeting at which they adopted a resolution demanding that the location of the office be changed to ancther area or they would refuse to work. The post office is now located in the center of the city among many other government buildings, some of which have been targets of extremist attacks.
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.
