ARRIVAL IN SYRIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26233, 17 August 1946, Page 7

ARRIVAL IN SYRIA

JEWS FROM PALESTINE MORE SHIPS OFF HAIFA HUNGER STRIKE STAGED (Rec. 0.30 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 16. An illegal immigrant ship ran the blockade and succeeded in landing 200 Jews near Tel-Aviv. state agency messages from Jerusalem. Their disembarkation was carried out in spite of official precautions, which included searchlights on the beaches in the Tel-Aviv area. All those who landed evaded the searchers. More than 1400 Jewish illegal immigrants in ships lying off Haifa are hunger-striking, says Reuter’s Jerusalem correspondent. The immigrants on one ship, which was intercepted by a British destroyer two days ago. are hunger-striking because they learned they were to be diverted to Cyprus. A message from Famagusta says the officer commanding the colony’s troops have been ordered to establish two camps for 10,000 illegal immigrants with special staff and hospitals. The first two shipments of illegal immigrants brought from Haifa in the Empire Rival and the Empire Heywood have been landed at Famagusta, in Cyprus. Disembarkation was completed without incident. One of the first ashore was a mother with a newly born infant. There were some stretcher cases of sickness. In the meantime. 815 more Jewish immigrants rached Haifa after 21 days at sea on board the 300-ton schooner Caf Gimmel. About 150 who were ill and 37 pregnant women were immediately landed and sent to hospital. In Paris to-day a Jewish Agency spokesman said the non-co-operation campaign could not begin on August 18 as previously announced. Details were still under discussion. The Jewish Agency and the Jewish National Council apparently disagreed on the question of non-co-operation. The decision to start a non-co-operation policy was taken at a meeting of the Jewish National Council composed of all political parlies in Palestine. In Washington to-day, the presidential secretary, Mr Charles Ross, said President Truman had sent the British Government some suggestions which he thought might be helpful. These will not be published in Washington He added that President Truman had not proposed any formal plan. The playwright. Mr Ben Hecht. joint chairman of the American League for Free Palestine, said that 200.000 to 300.000 more Jews were needed in Palestine to dislodge the “illegal British.”

He added: “We intend to see that there are enough.” Mr Hecht declared that the British blockade would only double and quadruple the league’s efforts to financd and arrange the transportation of European Jewish refugees to Palestine.