BRITISH AND ARABS CLASH

Chronicle (Levin), 6 May 1946, Page 5

BRITISH AND ARABS CLASH

LONDON, M%y 3; British troops and Arabs elashed in Jerusalem toda.v. An uglj' situation de veloped at the Damascus Gate, where British troops and police had thrown a barbed-wire barricade across the gate to hold back an excited crowd of Arabs. I Six armoured cars rushed to the a:s- j sistance of 60 British troops and police, j armed with tommj'-guns, -who were trying to stem the demonstrators. The' demonstration began at the Mosque el Aqsa, where fiery speeches against tlie British-American Committee's report sent a crowd streaming in angry mood to the Damascus Gate and the New Oity. ' Reuters reports that 3000 Arabs ;ti pouring rain stoned the troops. The demonstrators carried banners read ing: "Palestine is an Arab kingdom and .must be forever. " When the British troops, penning in the Arab demonstrators, fired a warning j shot into tlie air, jthe Arabs returned A| rain of stones. Later' the jfolice and the troops entered the Old City ot j Herod's Gate- and the' ' NeW Gate and dispersed the demonstrators at thc Damascus Gate. The situation is now officially described as "all quiet." The Exchange Telegraph 's Jerusalem correspondent says that. .tlie Jewish re-., sistance movement, . inclpding the "Rtern gang, " issudd a" joirit Sta'temeni": guaranteeing "full peace" if 100,009 ; Jewish immigrants were admitted to i ; Palestine, but adding that the resist-j ance movement was not willing to give \ up its arms. j A Cairo message says that the secre- j tary-General of the Arab League (Mi.! Azzam) said that proposals were being i made throughout Arab countries that j all Arab women and children should be j evacuated from Palestine to neighbour-! ing countries, and that Palestine should be declared a battle »zone and a holy j war proclairaed. "This idea is full of serious consequences, " he said, "but it shows/flte state of public opinion. I hope that ; Britain will not adopt the recommenda- J tions of the British-American Commit- 1 tee and preeipitate a c.risis. ' '