TENSION IN PALESTINE IS MOUNTING

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 October 1948, Page 5

TENSION IN PALESTINE IS MOUNTING

(Recd. 12.20 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 10. With tension mounting in United Nations and consular circles in Palestine, the Israeli authorities tightened the security measures round the headquarters of the United Nations observers in Jerusalem and stationed Jewish police sentries in the area of the nearby American Consulate, says the Daily Telegraph's Jerusalem correspondent. The reason for the measures remains obscure, but in the last few days the Israeli police have arrested more suspected members of the “Fatherland Front,” which is an extremist underground section of the Stern Gang. Alleged Truce Violations

The United Nations chief observer, Colonel Millett, ordered - the staff -to remain within barracks at night until further notice. The French, American and Belgian Consulates have posted their Own military guards. The Israeli representative at the United Nations in a letter to the president of the Security Council cited six “grave violations” by the Arabs of the Palestine truce, which seriously jeopardised the position and the interests of Israel and which the United Nations representatives had so far failed to remedy. The United Nations truce supervision headquarters announced that a Lebanese patrol boat intercepted and machine-gunned a Turkish vessel, which was en route to Haifa. The Lebanese confiscated the ships’ cargo of food.

Britain And The Arabs

Following a meeting with the Egyptian Prime Minister, Nokrashy Pasha, the British Acting Ambassador, Mr Chapman Andrews, said the British Government wanted to see a strong Arab Government in Palestine to “keep the Jews to their fence,” says the Associated Press correspondent. He added that the British Government supported partition under Count Bernadotte’s plan. The present situation would only benefit the Jews and war mongers. Mi’ Andrews added that Britain would welcome any Egyptian approach for a resumption of the negotiations to revise the 1936 treaty of alliance between the two countries. However, in the present international situation, it was not suitable to talk in public about the withdrawal of British troops from the Suez Canal zone. ____