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Sternist Troops Guard 420 Arab Prisoners of War in Special Camp Near Tel Aviv

Four hundred and twenty Arab prisoners of war are being held in a camp in the former Arab village of Jelil, adjoining Herzlia, some 10 miles north of here, it was officially disclosed today. The Arabs, all Moslems and almost all ex-combatants, are penned within an enclosure consisting of five concentric barbed wire fences. The […]

June 15, 1948
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Four hundred and twenty Arab prisoners of war are being held in a camp in the former Arab village of Jelil, adjoining Herzlia, some 10 miles north of here, it was officially disclosed today.

The Arabs, all Moslems and almost all ex-combatants, are penned within an enclosure consisting of five concentric barbed wire fences. The officers are kept in a separate area. All the POW’s wear khaki coveralls distinctively marked with a large diamond-shaped cloth badge.

Clothing, shaving equipment and other daily necessities are provided by the camp administration in accord with the Geneva Convention. The daily food ration is equivalent to 2,500 calories. Among the civilian prisoners is Rasem Yomis Husseini, one of the myriad of cousins of the ex-Mufti of Jerusalem.

The guards at the camp are all Sternists, under command of their own officers, although the Israeli high Command is responsible for the overall set-up. The Sternists were placed in charge of the camp primarily because they are more familiar with Arabs and because they have had considerable prison and interrogation experience.

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