ACTION AGAINST TERRORISTS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25090, 23 January 1947, Page 7

ACTION AGAINST TERRORISTS

Jewish Leaders' Promise HAGANAH TESTING OPINION (N.Zj Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 22. The correspondent of “The Times’’ in Jerusalem says the promise of action against terrorism given by the leaders of Palestinian Jewry has won the approval of a large number of Jews, though the revisionist press has not yet commented and the terrorist groups themselves have not yet replied. The warning that the Jewish community will use force to protect itself‘and prevent the terrorists from compelling others to give them assistance will naturally not be tested until the terrorists provide the occasion and Jewish citizens are ready to deal with it.

A Jewish Agency spokesman said yesterday that the Jewish organisations were confident that they knew how this undertaking could be carried out, but he emphasised that there would be no shooting among the Jews except as a final resort because of the general loathing of civil war. He added that the stage had not been reached where the Jews would intervene to assist the British people if they were being attacked. This note of caution is advisable, the correspondent says, because many difficulties, moral and physical, have still to be overcome. For one thing, if thd Jewish National Council and others request permission legally to arm taxi drivers, teachers, and others likely to be threatened, the Government will find it extremely difficult to give its approval. Moreover, the Jews have been taught too long to regard the Government as their political enemy for them suddenly to go to extremes of co-operation.

The correspondent odds that it is known that a form of poll is now being carried out among the members of the Haganah and also by the members of the Haganah themselves among the Jewish public seeking opinion on what should be done against the terrorists. The majority of the replies so far have not favoured actually taking up aggressive arms, but only giving information to the police or placing terrorists under Jewish custody. Admitting that United States Zionists were financially supporting illegal immigration to Palestine, Dr. Emmanuel Neumann, vice-president of the Zionist Organisation of America, said at a press conference in London: “I hope that liberal-minded Englishmen will come to see this process as we see it—not as a wilful rebellion, but as a great work of mercy and rescue.

“We intend to save as many European Jews as we can, regardless of all obstacles'and costs. We will pour millions into this work of rescue if need be.”

Dr. Neumann added that there had been intimations that American Zionists were condoning or encouraging terrorism, but there was profound misunderstanding on that. American Zionists stood by the Basle resolutions supporting legitimate resistance and condemning terrorism. Statement on. Policy Refused When the House of Commons resumed after the Christmas recess, the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr A. Creech Jones) refused a request for a statement on British in Palestine because the Palestine conference was resuming shortly. Sir Waldron Smithers (Conservative) asked: “Is the Government so weak that it has not a policy when British officers and men are being flogged and the name of Britain being dragged in the mud?”

In the House of Lords, the First Lord of the Admiralty (Lord Hall) expressed a wish for a general solution to the problems of Palestine to be found very speedily. He paid tribute to the work of the police in Palestine, and called on the Jewish community to help end terrorism. The leader of the Jewish Agency (Mr David ben-Gurion) has arrived in London for further talks on Palestine.

Representatives of the Palestine Arab Higher Organisation, who are going to London to-day, held two meetings in Cairo with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. It is learned that they decided to demand complete independence for Palestine, and that they would not discuss any other proposal.