ARAB REVOLT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22433, 1 June 1936, Page 9

ARAB REVOLT

ACTS OF VIOLENCE

CLASHES WITH TROOPS ambushes and arson I BANDITS on railway vDAMAGE TO PEOPEETY By Telesrnph—Press Association—Copyright (Received May 31. 5.5 p.m.) Timf Cable LONDON, May 30 The Jerusalem correspondent of the Times says the monotonous similarity of police reports, including stone-throwing, damage to property a ndl retaliation by troops, who fired andl dispersed crowds, indicates ,that the situation is,stationary. A bomb wrecked the furniture in the District Commissioner's office at Haifa. A military patrol drove off bandits who were attacking a railway line. Two British constables were ambushed *Bi?d one was wounded near Beersheba.

The High Commissioner, Sir Arthur Wauchope, summoned Arab Mayors and urged them to pacify the country and persuade the 'Arabs to submit their grievances to the forthcoming Royal Commission. It is understood that the Mayors replied that they could not pacify the Arabs until their demand*' •were conceded. . Disturbances,,,, ambushes, arson and cases of shooting continue in many districts. Seaforth Highlanders who were searching for , arms in a village near Nablus replied to fire fjrom neighbouring hills, killing ono Arab and woundina: t'fo.

disciplinary measures

MINISTER'S STATEMENT SITUATION UNDER CONTROL Britinh Wireless RUGBY, May 2!) The Dominions Secretary, Mr. Malcolm Mac Donald, was asked in the House of Commons to-day to give the source or name of the organisations or individuals responsible for issuing inciting manifestoes in Palestine. In reply he sa:id an appeal for citil disobedience was published as a resolution of the congress of the Arab National Committee on ]V£ay 7. Manifestoes of a more or less inciting character had been issued by the Arab Transport Strike Committee, by leading; Moslem townspeople in Jerusalem, by the so-called National Guard at Jaffa, by the Arab Students' Congress and by the editor of a prominent Arab newspaper. „„ The British Government was satis- .. fied with the steps which the High Commissioner, Sir Arthur Wauchope, had taken, and had the fullest confidence in his handling of the situation. Mr. Mac Donald said that while some tKfi,siire of disturbance was still rejxiftcc, ,in various parts cif Palestine, the general situation had.shown a distinct. improvement in the last two or • three days. He referred with regret to the shooting at Jerusalem of a British constable, and went on to state that the High Commissioner was satisfied that the force at his disposal at present was adequate. Reports that an additional battalion had been sent to Palestine from Egypt were without foundation.

Alluding to an announcement in the press that tea;r eras was being held in reserve by the Palestine police for use in certain contingencies for the suppression C? civil disorder, Mr. MacDonald informed the House that the Hijjjh Commissioner had published a statement for the information of the public in Palestine. This reassured them as !;o the non-lethal aud entirely harmlesii nature of the vapour to be supplied and explained that its use had only been authorised' should occasion arise in ordgr to avoid as fair as possible the necessity for employing measures for the preservation of law and order which might result in loss of life or serious injury.