LAWLESS PALESTINE

Wairarapa Age, 27 May 1936, Page 5

LAWLESS PALESTINE

Sixth Week of Disorders.

ALMOST APPROACHING OPEN REBELLION. MANY CLASHES WITH POLICE & TROOPS. RICOCHET BULLET KILLS ARAB GIBL. (Received Tuesday, 7.45 p.m.) LONDON, May 26. The "Daily Telegraph's” Jerusalem correspondent says Palestine has now entered on its sixth week of lawlessness almost approaching open rebellion. The whole coastal area from Haifa to Gaza, and inland from Nazareth to Jerusalem is affected. Armed terrorists are roaming the hills, uprooting valuable trees, including a thousand at the Jewish settlement of Emekhefer, destroying communications, bombing official buildings and public vehicles on highways and stoning and shooting the police and troops. The Arabs, incited by irresponsible propaganda, believe that their salvation depends on resisting the Government. The fiercest fight so far occurred early this morning in the Jewish colony at Mesha, near Mount Tabour. A mixed patrol of eight British, and two Palestinian policemen was forced to retreat. owing to ammunition running out, before three hundred armed Arabs, who converged on the colony from several directions. Word was sent back to Nazareth, from which place a party of North Lancashires advanced to Mesha in extended order. The Arabs, surprised by the sudden appearance of the troops, rapidly retreated, carrying their wounded. The police suffered no casualties.

A dangerous situation arose at Gaza where the police repeatedly charged mobs who were destroying insulators on telegraph poles. The Arabs retaliated with stones from roofs, injuring many. Troops were ordered to assist English families in the neighbourhood owing to fears of terrorism and brought them in to the police barracks. A British soldier was wounded during the operation.

Police searching houses for arms in a village near Nazareth were stoned by women from the roofs and a British police sergeant was injured. After this an officer ordered firing over the women's heads. A ricochet killed an Arab girl. "The Times” Jerusalem correspondent says the village where the Arab girl was killed was Kefr Kenna, the Biblical Cana of Galilee. Police shots killed an Arab at Gaza. GOVERNMENT RESOLVED. TO DISCHARGE ITS MANDATORY OBLIGATIONS. (Received Tuesday, 8.20 p.m.) LONDON, May 25. The "Daily Telegraph’s” Jerusalem correspondent, says that Lt.General Sir A. Wauchope, High Commissioner, speaking at an Empire Day celebration at the Levant Fair at Aviv, declared that no strike or violence would cause the government to deflect a jot from its determination to discharge fully its mandatory obligations.

ITALIAN PROPAGANDA. REPUTED CAUSE OF MUCH BAD BLOOD. (Received Tuesday, 8.20 p.m.) LONDON, May 25. "The Times” Cairo correspondent says an Italian propagandist was recently active in Palestine, working equally among anti-Zionist Arabs and ultra-Zionist Jews. Well-informed people believe this is indirectly responsible for much of the rioting and bad blood. "The Times” Rome correspondent says the "Corriere della Sera” prints a telegram from Jerusalem alleging that the Arabs at present are especially sympathetic towards the Germans and Italians, the former enjoying increased prestige because they had dared to challenge the myth of Jewish world-wide domination and the latter because Italy is the only nation which has dared to oppose the myth of the invincible British Empire.