“ABOMINABLE CRIME”

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 July 1946, Page 5

“ABOMINABLE CRIME”

DR. WEIZMANN ON HOTEL OUTRAGE

PALESTINE JEWS’ TREATMENT (Rec. 11 a.m.) LONDON, July 28. The King David Hotel outrage was an “abominable, brutal, and unspeakable crime,” said the president of the Jewish Agency, Dr. Weizmann, in a letter to a West End mass meeting of Jews, which, he was unable to attend because of indisposition. Dr. Weizmann added that the Jewish population in Palestine must do its utmost to ensure that no _ such crime would ever again be possible. He added that he would be failing in his duty, however, if he did not mention some of the “lamentable things” done against the Jews in Palestine, where the prisons were thronged with thousands of men and women. Strict censorship was imposed and any citizen was liable to arrest without warrant, reason, trial, or inquiry. The searches and arrests made last month had aggravated a situation already tense as a result of the procrastination over the implementation of the Anglo-American committee’s recommendation for the immigration of 100,000 Jews into Palestine. Referring to the suggested partition of Palestine as reported to have been recommended by the Anglo-Ameri-can representatives, Dr. Weizmann said: “It has all the disadvantages of the Peel scheme without its advantages.” The audience stood for a moment as a mark of sympathy to the victims of the King David Hotel explosion. Dr. M. Rossenberg, of Tel Aviv, speaking at a Jewish conference, said: “Our great failure is lack of religion in the Holy Land. We P r O" gressive, religious Jews have to fight not only the British but also Jewish terrorists. This terror is the fruit of hopelessness ■without faith in GodOur Jewish culture, which is founded on religion, is about to be overshadowed by national and political interests.”

£40,009 ROBBERY AT TEL AVIV

(Rec. 10.20 a.m.) LONDON, July 28.

Eight men armed with tommyguns entered the Tel Aviv stock exchange this afternoon, held up all present, and escaped with gold valued at about £.40,000, states the Associated Press Tel Aviv correspondent. The men are believed to be Jews belonging to the Irgun Leumi.

BRITISH TEMPERS RISING IN PALESTINE LONDON, July 28. “The temper of the British officials in Palestine is now one of fierce contempt for all Jews who persist in a hypocritical attitude of regret while simultaneously shielding terrorists from the police,” says the Jerusalem correspondent of the Observer. “The general feeling is that the limit of forbearance has been reached and that if London does not swiftly act there is a serious possibility of wholesale resignations. , “A reply sent by the Chief Secretary (Sir John Shaw) to a letter from Dr. Altman, chairman of the New Zionist organisation, is typical of the British attitude. Sir John Shaw said: ‘I have received your letter purporting to express regret and sympathy over the dreadful 'event of July 22, in which more than 100 of my faithful colleagues and friends were massacred. According to their own published boast, this crime was perpetrated by the National Military Organisation (Irgun Zvai Leumi), which is associated with the New Zionist organisation.' In these circumstances I find myself unable to accept expressions of regret emanating ’ from the Central Office of the New Zionists.” Rescuers have recovered from the wreckage of the King David Hotel the bodies of- Mr. Geoffrey David, economic adviser to the- Palestine Government, and Mr. B. C. Gibbs, an assistant secretary.