Britain Challenges Zionist Authorities: 'Reprisals’ Continue

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 February 1948, Page 6

Britain Challenges Zionist Authorities: 'Reprisals’ Continue

(Recd. 1 p.m.) LONDON, February 23. Mr Rees Williams, Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Colonial Office, told the House of Commons today that 27 were killed, and 32 seriously and 48 slightly injured in the Jerusalem bomb outrage yesterday. (It is unofficially reported from Jerusalem that 51 were killed). Mr Rees Williams said that soon after the explosion an armoured car was seen travelling on the Jaffa road at great speed. It bore an identification number unknown to the police. “The responsibility has not been established, but the authorities find nothing to confirm the allegation in Palestine that members of the British security forces were involved,” he said. The Zionist authorities had been challenged to produce any evidence to support their unbelievable charge.

Reuters Jerusalem correspondent says the Palestine Government flatly rejected the Jewish Agency’s demand that the British forces should be withdrawn from all Jewish areas at Jerusalem and that army police vehicles should submit to search by Jews.

More Britons were wounded today in continued “reprisal attacks” following yesterday’s bombing. The veteran Arab guerrilla leader, Abdul Kader Husseini, claimed responsibility for the bomb explosion in Ben Yehuda street yesterday, which, he said, was a reprisal for last week’s Jewish “basket bomb” explosion in Ramleh market place.

The Haganah in a broadcast, accused'" the Mufti of Jerusalem of ordering Husseini to admit the responsibility for blasting “for his own and his follower’s ends.” Jewish road mines blew up four British, vehicles, including an armoured car, in Jerusalem’s Jewish quarter, in what is considered the beginning of a new terrorist campaign

against the British military and police. Jews earlier had planted a number of electric mines round the quarter for use against British vehicles. Armoured Car Blown Up Three' British soldiers were injured in the blowing up of an armoured car. It was escorting a crane, which the army sent to assist the rescue work in blasted Ben Yehuda street. Jews with mortars tonight attacked a small detachment of the Royal Army Pay Corps, which is housed in a Syrian orphange on the outskirts of the city. No casualties occurred, as the mortar shells fell short of the building. During the fighting between Jews and Arabs in the Mount Scopus district, a road bridge leading to the Hadassah hospital was blown up. When six members of the secretariat of the United Nations Palestine Commission arrived in London by air from New York today, photographers were forbidden to take photographs. The party is staying for a few days before going to Jerusalem.